Four Letters to Make Us Whole
by SalSassy
Summary: A/U with Olivia and Dominic Pruitt. Don't want to give too much away as far as plot. Review welcome
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: PARK**

The high-pitched scream nearly stopped her heart as she ran over to the slide. Olivia Benson crouched down and extended a hand towards the little olive-skinned child in front of her. "Are you okay sweetheart?" Olivia asked as she help the small child to stand. "My knee hurts." "I see that sweetie. Where's your mom?" The child just shrugged. "My name is Olivia. What's yours?" Olivia saw a look of hesitation before she heard a man's voice coming in their direction. Olivia turned around too fast and collided into a solid mass of muscle. "I'm sorry" she said without looking up. "Olivia?" Brown met blue and surprise filled both of their eyes. "Dominic? Oh my God! It's been like-" "Seven years. You look-you look fantastic!" Dominic exclaimed. His stunned expression quickly disappeared as he started looking around frantically, "Where is-"

"I'm right here daddy" the little girl said from her place a few paces behind Olivia. Olivia looked between Dominic and the little girl and he smiled at her before picking the young girl up. "Olivia, this is my daughter Nova. Nova this is a friend of mine Olivia. I can call you a friend, right?" Dominic asked Olivia, suddenly bashful. Olivia smiled wide, "Of course you can." Olivia turned around and motioned to a little boy that was now coming down the slide. She caught him just before he ran into them. "Dominic and Nova, this is my son Noah. Noah, Dominic is a friend of mine and Nova is his little girl." Dominic turned his attention to the little girl in his arms, "Are you okay Babygirl?" "Yeah. I fell and hurt my knee but Ms. Olivia helped me up." Dominic turned to Olivia, "Thank you Olivia." "It's no problem. I heard a scream and I guess it was second nature." "I'm sorry. I was on a work call and I turned around for 2 minutes." "It's okay. Really Dominic it's okay." Noah and Nova starting bursting bubbles that were blowing in the breeze. Olivia and Dominic hadn't broke eye contact yet. His gaze felt as if it was piercing her inner soul but she couldn't look away. Dominic felt like her was drowning in her deep chocolate eyes.

Noah tugged on Olivia's hand until she turned her head, "Mommy can we go eat now?" Noah asked with his best puppy dog look. Olivia pretended to think for a second before giving in, "Oh alright. I guess we can go." "Can Mr. Dominic and Nova come with us?" Olivia, mouth agape, looked at Dominic and laughed nervously. Dominic saw her slight blush and smirked, "We don't want to impose." Noah pouting and Nova's big brown eyes made both of them give in and they all left the playground in the direction of food. Noah saw the sign of his favorite burger bar and Olivia pretended that she couldn't see the sign. "Mommy! It's FrankenBurger!" Olivia winced slightly, Noah's excited squeals still managing to catch her off-guard, and Dominic smiled widely. "FrankenBruger?" he asked curiously. "It's uh one of the few restaurants that cater to both adults and children. Basically, you create your own burgers from start to finish. They have all kinds of meats, toppings, breads, and sauces to choose from." "Sounds great." "Oh and they have this immaculate play areas for the kids. It's designed for kids 2-13, which I thought was crazy; I was wrong because it's great. Oh, Nova likes burgers right?" Dominic shook his daughter's hand lightly and she looked up at Olivia with bright, brown eyes, "Yes ma'am Ms. Olivia. I like burgers."

Olivia crouched down to Nova's level, "Do you like arcade games? Noah's pretty good at them so I bet he could tell you all the tricks." Olivia whispered that last part before standing to face Dominic as Nova shook her head yes. "What about you Mr. Marine? Do you like burgers." "I do." "Well, let's go get a table." Dominic, being the gentleman that he was, opened the door and held it open as all of them walked through. A stocky man approached them with a Mario Brothers costume on and smiled at Noah and Olivia. "Regular table Olivia?" "Yes please" she said with a smile as she saw Dominic's raised brow out the corner of her eye. She turned to him, "I forgot to tell you that the employees and the owner Mario are always dressed as cartoon and video game characters. And all the tables follow the same sort of theme." Dominic laughed, "So, what's your normal table?" "Cars", Olivia said lowly as Nova and Noah started pulling on their hands. "Tow Mater! Daddy I love this place" Nova said excitedly as Dominic helped her up into her 'tow mater' seat. Olivia barely had to help Noah into his Lighting McQueen seat because he knew how to get in practically with his eyes closed. She sat in her usual Sally Carrera car and Dominic's brow furrowed before he settled into the Ramone car. "And I am?" "Ramone. Daddy he makes all the car look cool." Olivia laughed at Nova and reached in the side opening of the table to pull out games.

"They're games in the table?" "Yes. Coloring is boring and commonplace, so you usually have your favorite games stored in the table. Names are usually labeled for the games you play the most. Noah plays with Legos and Connect Four. Which one do you want to play with Noah?" "Um…what do you want to play with Nova?" Olivia's eyebrows rose slightly in interest before waiting for an answer. "Connect Four" she said timidly. Olivia and Dominic helped them set the game up and then they glanced over the menus that were laminated on the table. "Wow. They really do have it all." Dominic exclaimed. "I told you." "What's good?" "I'm the wrong person to ask. I've tried them all and love all except the ones with pork." Olivia looked at Dominic's confused expression, "I'm not a fan or pork. It's a really greasy meat but if you like it, then you can try one of those." Dominic contemplated that for a minute and Olivia pointed to a portion of the menu that was close to the lower part of Dominic's chest. His body involuntarily leaned into the tip of her finger and he had to fight to hold back a moan. Olivia noticed the reaction but didn't say anything. "This is usually what I get. 6 sliders of your choice. I let it trick me into eating what I want without feeling like a glutton." "I think you look absolutely perfect. Nothing wrong with a woman that has meat on her bones. I prefer it actually." Olivia blushed at Dominic and looked down and shyly bit her lip. He noticed her pink cheeks and cleared his throat as he perused the menu.

"What does Nova usually eat?" "Anything. She doesn't really have a preference with food." "Same with Noah. Guess we both lucked out in that department." "Yes we did. As far as burgers, if she has ketchup, mustard, and lettuce then she's fine." "Same with Noah except it pickles and tomatoes too. Noah likes the shrimp and turkey burgers." "Nova? Do you want what Noah's getting or something else?" Nova stopped trying to figure out her next move so that she could simply shrug her shoulders and go back to the game. "Well, that's definitely a universal thing for kids." "No doubt. Can you press the Chick Hicks button so that we can order?" Olivia asked. Dominic pressed the button and immediately a woman dressed as a Powerpuff Girl came to their table. "Welcome to Frank-. Hi Olivia! I see that you and Noah are back…with guests this time." Olivia smiled, "Misty AKA Bubbles, this is Dominic and his little girl Nova." Misty's grin nearly split her face in two, "She's so precious and Oliva you have quite the hunk on your hands." Olivia's blush deepened and Misty spoke up to save her from the embarrassment. "You and Noah having the usual?" "Yes please." "And your _guests?"_ Olivia avoided her gaze and Dominic smiled, "We'll have the same as Noah and Olivia. I trust her judgment." Dominic said with a smirk. Misty rose one eyebrow and smiled to herself. "She does have great taste. Take care of her Marine." Olivia refused to entertain Misty's double meaning of her statements. "How did you know I was a Marine?" Dominic asked. "My husband is a Marine. You have the look. Trust me, I've been the wife of a Marine for 21 years." Olivia excused herself to go to the restroom. "So, if you don't mind me asking.. why do you work here?" Misty gave a warm smile and diverted her eyes to Mario. "Mario was always good to my family. I met him years ago when my husband first got deployed. I was pregnant with our first child and some miracle let me meet Mario that day. He understood and he spent a lot of time helping me keep my mind off of it. He's a great guy just like Liv." "Olivia?" "Yeah. She and Mario met when she was still walking a beat. Not only did she talk his daughter down from suicide after she was raped, but she talked him out of being a vigilante. He always says that it was the best decision that he ever made but he wouldn't have gotten there without Olivia. He spent so much time with his daughter that he wasn't really working and lost his restaurant. Olivia, although she thinks that neither one of us knows, somehow raised the $50,000 deposit he needed to start another restaurant without getting a bank loan. She still thinks that she pays for her food here. He's never charged her but taken her card to humor her and brought it back to her. You have a good woman there. Take care of her Marine." Olivia returned to the table as Misty left and sat down across from him. She felt his stare and looked up to see him in a daze, "Dominic you okay?" "Yes. I'm okay." "Penny for your thoughts?" she asked gently. "Just thinking"

"About?"

 **A/N: Next Chapter: Work.**


	2. Chapter 2

"So what were you thinking about?" Olivia asked with a smirk as she bit into one of her sliders. "Work" Dominic replied. "Cop out." "I was thinking of work and I was also thinking of something that Missy said to me." "Oh lord, do I even want to know?" Olivia asked dramatically. "Good things I promise. Scout's honor." Olivia wiped her mouth with a napkin, "You were a boy scout?" "Yes, I was. A good looking one at that." Olivia smiled and kept quiet and Dominic's curiosity peaked. "What are you smiling about?" "Nothing. Just imagining you dressed like a boy scout" she said with a seductive smirk. Dominic choked on his drink and Olivia laughed and kept eating her food. Dominic was sure that she was flirting with him but he didn't get ahead of himself. He glanced at the kids and noticed that they were racing each other to see which one of them would finish their food first. Within the next 5 minutes, they both were finished and all but begged to go play on games, but Olivia shook her head no. "You just finished eating and your food needs to digest. Play Connect Four for a little bit and then you can go." They both complied and started playing their game again. "You're good at that." Dominic pointed out. "What? Bossing people around? It's kind of my job." Olivia said with a laugh. "Oh, that's right. It's Lieutenant now, right?" "How did you know?" "A little birdie told me." "Who? Someone in my squad?" "Actually, no. A friend of a friend." Olivia's expression wanted him to tell her but she refused to ask, which only humored Dominic more. " _Who told you Dominic?_ Olivia, I'm so happy you asked. It was Sheldon Hawkes." "Hawkes….he's dating Rollins." "That'd be the one. I knew Sheldon for a while now. We met a bit after Jessie's case and we stayed in touch." "It's still hard for you to talk about her isn't it?" "You caught that?" "I did."

Noah tapped Olivia's arm and she checked her watch before getting up and letting Noah slide by. "You guys can go play now but don't go too far." "Okay mommy." Olivia watched Noah wait for Nova before running off to the nearby ball pit. Olivia kept her indirect focus on them and her direct focus on Dominic. "Noah is a really sweet little boy. You're a great mom." "Thank you Dominic. Nova is a doll and she has great manners." "Thank you. Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "It's not really my place to ask but who's the lucky guy? Noah's dad?" Olivia stiffened slightly and Dominic felt like he shot himself in the foot. "Or his other mom" he added softly as an afterthought. Olivia chuckled, "Noah doesn't have an other mom. I dabbled with women here and there when I was in my twenties but never pursued a relationship with a woman. I adopted Noah. His birth mother was a prostitute and his birth father was a sex trafficker. He kind of just fell into my lap. I was in a rollercoaster relationship and I had a pregnancy scare and we both came to the conclusion that we were better apart. Noah was my miracle and I don't know what I'd do without him. What about you? Who's the lucky woman that snatched you up?" It was Dominic's turn to go rigid.

"There is no lucky woman. Nova's mom, and I used that term loosely, isn't apart of either of our lives." Olivia looked down, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up." Dominic absently waved a hand at her, "It's okay. You didn't know." "Do you know where she is?" Olivia asked softly. "Prison. Angela and I met when I was on leave 6 years ago. It was my first time being on leave since Jessie died and her death was still fresh for me. Angela and I both agreed that it was a one-night thing before we even left the bar. I was hammered and I thought she was too but she wasn't. We got a room at a decent hotel and I was too dizzy to even stand. We used protection but it was a condom that she'd brought along and it was defective. I didn't know about Nova's existence until last year when her DCS case worker found me. Angela gave me some form of Ecstasy in the bar and intentionally got pregnant. I had no idea that she was as dangerous as she was. She beat the hell out of Nova since she was able to walk. She's facing 7 separate murder charges. Nova is supposed to testify against her when her trial starts in a couple of months. Angela killed a male escort while Nova was hiding in the closet. She'd gotten away with it for a while. The ADA on the case said that the only reason that I survived was because my leave was up. All her victims looked like me. The three before I ever met her looked like they could've been my brothers."

Olivia could see that Dominic was struggling to finish and she felt her own tears fill her eyes, "Why did she keep Nova?" "Her first victim was a male escort that got her pregnant. Their daughter was stillborn. I don't think that she planned on keeping Nova until she realized that she was carrying a girl." "Her second chance?" "Yeah. Her second chance. Had I known that she was pregnant, I'd have done anything possible to keep her away from Angela. She used my daughter as a punching bag. What kind of person does that?" Olivia reached across the table and wiped Dominic's stray tears. "A very sick person. Nova is lucky to have you as a father." "No. I'm truly blessed to have that little girl. I don't want her to testify. She's petrified of Angela." "It'll be okay. She has a Marine for a father." Dominic was thankful for Olivia trying to make him feel better. "I have a question Dominic. How have you not been shipped back out yet? Did you get out?" "Yes and No. When I found out about Nova, I'd just become a Sergeant Major, which is almost the highest ranking to have, but I was recuperating from an injury. There was a bomb set off near our barracks and by some miracle, I was able to get my most wounded man out and kept him alive until we were able to get medical. I had third-degree burns on my back and injuries to my right arm and leg. To fully recover, that's taken about 9 months. A friend of mine offered to take my spot on our next mission when I told the Corps about Nova because he didn't have children or a companion. Now, I do private security but realistically they want me to come back." "When?" "Probably the end of the year." "Dominic, it's August!" "I know. I know. Nova's supposed to testify in October and I can't let her go through that by herself. The Corps has been really supportive and helpful but Olivia, that's my job. It's all I know how to do. You should know that better than anyone."

Olivia couldn't say a word and Dominic felt bad for what he'd said to her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It feels like it's so hard to choose between Nova and the Corps….now I sound like an asshole. The Corps I can do with no problem and I'm in way over my head with being a dad. I feel like a creature from another planet." Olivia stacked their plates up at the edge of the table and a busboy swiftly came by and cleared their table. "You don't sound like an asshole Dominic. Special Victims is in my blood and it is definitely something that I can do with my eyes closed. When Noah came into my life I felt the exact same way. I still feel guilty because he sees his nanny more than me because I run my squad. I get jealous of these in-depth talks we have about everything he did with Lucy and not me. Sometimes it does feel like a hard choice because the job doesn't really require afterthought and parenting does constantly. If there was a book on how to parent, trust me, I'd have been the first in line to get it. As parents, we aren't going to always get it right. We will mess up and have to learn a new way to do things. We will continue to get scared and fret over the little things. We will always overthink and panic. There are so many different ways to parent and no two people do it the same. As long as we love them unconditionally, our kids don't hold us to some ridiculous standard. I've learned the hard way that parenting is 90% instinct and 10% luck. Nova loves you because you are the good thing in her world. She's not going to judge you for not always getting it perfect." Dominic wanted to kiss her senseless but he settled for squeezing her hand in gratitude. "You're really great Olivia." She blushed and looked away, "No I'm not."

Dominic's phone rang, "I'm sorry." "It's okay. you can take it." Dominic's expression let her know that whatever was being said was upsetting him. She waited patiently until he ended the call. "Is everything okay?" "No. A private that I trained just had a bad PTSD flashback and walked into oncoming traffic. He's at Mercy and it's pretty bad. I need to grab Nova so we can go." Olivia's small but strong hand gripped his forearm tightly as she sought out his attention. "Dominic are you sure that's a good idea? Do you want Nova around that much gore? I don't know if she has flashbacks or anything but do you really want her in that environment for God knows how long?" "What other choice do I have? The woman that usually watches her won't be back in the city until Tuesday." "She can go with me and Noah." "Olivia, I can't ask you to do that." "You're not asking. I'm offering. Look at her." Olivia commanded as she turned his head to see Noah helping Nova play the racing game. The smiles on their faces were infectious. "With the trial coming up, I'm sure that you want to keep her as happy as possible. They both look really happy and I honestly don't mind. Noah has me, work-free, for the entire weekend. We'll be building forts and watching cartoons all weekend. She won't be imposing and at least you know that she'll be safe." "She has nightmares." "I deal with victims all the time. I'm sure I can handle a nightmare." Olivia said with a chuckle. Dominic thought for a moment before giving in, "Olivia, you're the best."

Dominic felt a tug on his pants, "Daddy, are we leaving?" He knelt down, "Daddy is because he has a friend that's hurt and at the doctor's office. Olivia offered to take you home with her. Is that okay?" "We get to make a fort and have ice cream. We're gonna have so much fun" Noah said, bouncing up and down. Nova looked at Olivia once and agreed. Dominic and Olivia exchanged numbers and she texted him her address. "Thank you again Olivia. Thank you so much." "It's not a problem." She looked down at the kids, "You two ready to go?" "Yep. Can we get gummi bears?" Noah asked. "And marshmallows" Nova added. Olivia started to laugh and grabbed both of their hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This was a really long chapter for me to write. I broke it up into sections so that I could post sooner. I haven't abandoned my other fics.**

"Nova do you want marshmallows with your ice cream?" "Yes Ms. Olivia." Olivia smiled and went back to fixing yet another dessert for Noah and Nova. _Their sugar rush is going to be so bad. Thank God I don't work tomorrow._ Olivia looked at the time and started to worry a little because Dominic hadn't contacted her in nearly 5 hours. She pushed that to the back of her mind and made her way over to the makeshift fort that looked like it'd cave in at any moment. She placed the bowls on the table and knocked on the 'window' "Hello. Is anybody home?" Noah's mess of curls popped up, "Hi. What's the magic word?" "I brought the ice cream." Olivia laughed softly as the 'front door' was kicked out and two left hands became visible. "Thank you" Noah and Nova said at the same time. Olivia smiled and retreated back into the kitchen to start cleaning up. In almost record time, two bowls were placed on the coffee table and 'the front door' went back up as the back one nearly gave out. Olivia decided that she would at least make it stable before pillows rained down on the both of them.

To her shock, both kids were falling asleep with every passing minute. She grabbed the bowls and placed them in the kitchen sink before heading into Noah's bathroom to start the water. She ensured that it was the right temperature before leaving to do the same in her bathroom. When both tubs were filled, she turned them off and threw a few toys in both before going back into the living room. She carefully opened the fort and woke the both of them up. "Bath time guys." Noah got up, rubbing his eyes, and went into his bathroom and stripped down before getting into the bathtub. Olivia looked back down and noticed that Nova had a faraway gaze in her eyes and that she also had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. Olivia kneeled down and rubbed a gentle hand on her back. In a soft voice, she asked Nova, "Are you okay sweetheart?" Nova immediately looked down and nodded her head slowly. "I—i—I haven't taken a bath with a boy before Ms. Olivia." Olivia's heart broke a little. "Nova that's not going to happen. You bath is waiting in my bathroom. Noah is taking a bath in his bathroom." "So, I'm taking a bath by myself?" _What in the hell did she do to this sweet little girl?_ "Yes. All by yourself." Olivia grabbed Nova's hand and led her into the bathroom. "Do you need some help?" Nova had yet another faraway look in her eyes and Olivia chose not to push. "How about this? I clean up in here and you go get settled in the bathtub. Is that okay?" "Yes Ms. Olivia." Olivia watched in solemn worry as Nova slowly disappeared into her bedroom. She heard her bathroom door click shut and she tried to distract herself by cleaning up and washing the dishes in the sink. She heard Noah splashing but she didn't hear anything from her bathroom. Her phone chimed and she saw that it was a text message from Amanda but she ignored it, for the moment, and went into her bedroom. She put her ear to the door and heard the water moving, which let her take a deep breath of relief. She rapped her knuckles against the door, "Nova? Is everything okay?" "Yes Ms. Olivia." "All right sweetheart. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Olivia left and went into Noah's bathroom. "Hey sweet boy. You ready to get clean?" "Yeah I'm ready." Olivia started to wash Noah's body while he played with his toys. "Mommy, what's wrong with Nova?" Olivia turned him around so that she could clean his back. "What do you mean Noah?" He shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno know. She's sad but her dad is really nice. Does her mommy make her sad?" Olivia let out a breath, "I think she does but her daddy makes her happy." "I wish she had a mommy like you. You make me happy all the time." "Thank you my sweet boy. Ready to get out?" Olivia asked smiling. Noah nodded and Olivia helped him out of the bathtub. She dried him off and let him lotion his body and pull on his pajamas. She grabbed his dirty clothes and took them into the laundry room. She went back into her room and knocked on the door again. "Nova?" Olivia heard some splashing before the water settled. "You can come in Ms. Olivia." Olivia opened the door just as Nova pulled her legs up to her chest. "Hi sweetheart. Are you ready for me to help you take a bath?" Nova's eyes went wide slightly and she looked behind Olivia a few times before putting her chin on her knees. "Noah's in the living room. It's just us girls in here." Nova didn't raise her head but said in a soft whisper, "I never let Daddy see because I don't to make him sad. I don't want to make you sad either." Olivia was confused, "You won't make me sad. If you never let your daddy see you in the bath, how do you get clean?" "Nana mostly but sometimes Spanky. They promised that they wouldn't tell Daddy. Are you going to tell daddy?" "I can't see anything. What do you not want me to tell your daddy?" Nova let her knees down and Olivia saw the jagged, but healed, scar on her stomach and another one at the bottom of her stomach that looked like a chemical burn. Olivia felt her tears water her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall. "Who did that to you?" "My mommy. She said that I was being a bad girl and that I had to be punished." "That's not true. No one deserves to be punished like this. She was wrong. Why don't you want me to tell your daddy?" Nova grabbed Olivia's hand and put it into her head. Olivia felt a scar at the top of her head before Nova released her hand. "Daddy felt that one when he was washing my hair and he cried. I don't like making daddy cry. Please don't cry Ms. Olivia. They don't hurt anymore. I promise." Nova wiped at Olivia's eye with her wet hands, which seemed a little ridiculous.

Olivia smiled at the sweet little girl, "I won't tell your daddy. Now, let's get you clean." Nova let Olivia clean her body without any disruptions. Olivia had a wine-red towel opened up on her lap and Nova was nearly swallowed up by the towel. Olivia guided her to the bed and placed her in the middle. She thought for a moment and went into the back of her of closet and came back with pajamas. Nova looked at her funny and Olivia laughed, "Some of my friends have little girls, so I always have clothes. Pick one." Nova thought for a second and pointed to the ones with pumpkins on them. "You like pumpkins huh?" "Yes Ms. Olivia. I love the fall. The leaves are so pretty." "Do you like dressing up for Halloween?" "Um yes. I was daddy last year." "Not a princess?" Nova shook her head, "Princess is girly. I don't like girly." Olivia laughed. "Okay. No girly. Got it. Let's go see what Noah's doing." Olivia and Nova went into the living room and saw Noah trying to rebuild the fort. He stopped when a pillow fell on him and Olivia chuckled. He looked up and smiled, "I was trying to put it back together but it keeps falling. Mommy can we sleep in the fort?" "Only if we can keep it up. Let's all work together to keep the fort up for the night." After 10 minutes, the fort was back up and the kids wanted to watch a movie. Olivia was kneeled down near the cabinet that held all their movies. "What are we watching guys?" Noah shrugged his shoulders and Nova pointed to _The Boss Baby._ Olivia put it in and helped the two settle back into their newly built fort. Olivia grabbed her phone and looked at the text from Rollins. _–Still free for tomorrow?—_ Olivia replied back yes and scrolled through her contacts before clicking on Dominic's name. her finger hovered over the call button, but she resisted the urge, knowing that Dominic would call as soon as he could. She looked over at the kids and smiled after seeing them fast asleep. She turned the movie off and went to take a hot shower in her bedroom.

Olivia relished in the steaming water cascading over her body. She thought about Dominic momentarily. Seven years ago, he looked like a GQ model in fatigues and now he looked ten times better. He'd put on more weight but it was all solid muscle. Olivia didn't mind one bit about the changes in Dominic's body…in fact she appreciated them greatly. Olivia stopped her wandering thoughts from going into forbidden territory and shifted to Nova. Olivia really wanted to know what had that little girl so afraid. _She was afraid of being naked with Noah. She was afraid of me helping her undress for a bath. She was afraid to show me the scars. How the hell did she get those scars? Why did her pathetic mother do that to her? Why doesn't she want Dominic to know?_ Olivia slowly washed her body before washing her hair. When she was done, she wrapped her body and hair in warm towels before putting on a pair of fluffy socks. She walked into the living room to check on the kids once more. They were asleep against one another and burrowed into pillows and blankets. Olivia made herself some tea and went into her bedroom to get dressed and relax for a bit. She wound up dozing off at one of the late-night tv shows after it bored her. She woke up at the sound of screaming and immediately went for her gun. She raced out of her bedroom and into the living room, where she got the shock of her life. Noah was standing with wide eyes as Nova was screaming and fighting in her sleep. Olivia picked her up and she jolted awake and held on to Olivia for dear life. Olivia tried to soothe her as best as she could and Nova seemed to hold her that much tighter. Olivia saw Noah's eyes well up with tears before he burst into tears. She held Nova tighter on her left hip and kneeled down and extended her arm to Noah. He ran straight to her and buried his face in her neck. Olivia tried her best to soothe two crying children but it seemed futile at best. "Mommy, what happened?" Noah asked between hiccups. Olivia rubbed a hand through his hair and kissed his forehead, "Nova had a bad dream. I know it scared you, but she's going to be okay. I promise my sweet boy." Olivia wiped away his tears and looked at Nova, who calmed down a bit. Olivia felt the wet patch on her pajamas and the liquid running down her thigh. She looked at Nova and held her closer. "Noah baby, do you think that you can go back to sleep in your bed?" Olivia asked softly. "But what about Nova?" Noah asked. At her name being called, Nova held Olivia tighter. "She's going to be okay. I'll make sure of it. okay?" Noah nodded and squeezed Nova's hand before walking into his room and crawling into his bed.

"Nova? Can you look at me sweetheart?" Nova looked at Olivia and buried her head in her neck. "I'm sorry Ms. Olivia. I had an accident." Olivia looked down, "It's okay. Let's get cleaned up, okay?" Nova nodded and Olivia stood up, carrying her into the bedroom. Olivia helped her get the soiled pajamas off and she cleaned her body before putting her into clean, dry ones. What started as a slow trickling rain earlier, turned into a full-out storm. Olivia changed her own pajamas and wrapped Nova in one of her blankets before sprinting into the living room and dumping everything in the laundry. Olivia went back into her bedroom and Nova immediately jumped in her arms. Olivia held her tight and sat them both on a lounge bed next to her window. She rocked her back and forth until her grip loosened. Olivia glanced at her clock and saw that it was a little after 2 in the morning. She kept rocking Nova until she felt her breathing even out. Olivia's eyes drifted close as she held the sleeping little girl and hummed a lullaby. Her phone started vibrating and she did some unnatural stretching just to grab her phone without waking up Nova.

"Benson." "Olivia. It's Dominic." "I know. I have caller ID. Is everything okay with your friend?" "Not really. He has two broken legs, a broken arm, dislocated shoulder, and pinched nerves. It's pretty bad. He'll be lucky if he ever walks again." "But he's alive." "Yeah…he's alive. I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. I was going to and then his blood wouldn't clot. Then he had a seizure. Then—" "It's okay Dom. I figured you would call when you got a chance. You know that it means the world to him that you're there." "I guess so." "Not guess. It's true. He appreciates it more than you know. Trust me." "Is everything okay with you? With Nova?" Olivia looked down at Nova and stroked her head, "We're all good here." "Seriously Olivia? It's 2:24 in the morning and you're wide awake. You don't sound like you were sleeping." "That's very observant of you Dominic." "I like it better." "Like what better?" "When you called me Dom." Olivia blushed, not aware that she did, "I didn't know I did. Anyways, I wasn't sleeping." "Did Nova-" "She had a nightmare but it's handled and she's asleep." "I'm sorry." "You don't have to apologize. It's okay. What about you?" "What about me?" "When do you plan on sleeping? I know you haven't tried yet." "I don't know. When he gets settled into a room, then I'll probably swap out with another one of our friends. They plan on keeping him on suicide watch. They'll have him sedated for a while, so it won't be that big a deal to swap out with someone." "You should come here." "I'm sorry? What was that?" "We're going to be having a picnic tomorrow. We'll be gone for most of the morning and afternoon. It'll be a quiet house and easy for you to get sleep. Just humor me and come by here to sleep. Think of it as my thank you to you." "Thank you for what?" "For seven years ago when you helped me. I'll leave a spare key with Misty at Frankenburger. Do me a favor and get you some food while you're there. You're welcome to anything in my house…especially my bed so that you can get some well-needed rest." "Olivia." "Don't argue, just say okay." "Okay. Thank you. Are you sure everything's okay with Nova?" "She's perfect." As Olivia hung up the phone, she could've sworn that she heard Dominic say _so are you Olivia_

 **A/N: The rest of this chapter is to come soon. I promise.**


	4. Chapter 4

The red rims under Dominic's eyes were indicative of just how tired he was. He entered Frankenburger and Misty spotted him immediately. By the time he reached the counter, she'd already come from the back with a bag of food for him. "You truly need this" Misty said as she handed him the bag. "She lives in a loft. The key with the red tape is to her primary door and the one with the blue tape is to her front door. If she's already gone, then the passcode is her mother's name, Serena. Her building is tucked away. Try and get you some rest Dominic." He gave a small smile, "Thank you." Dominic waved goodbye to Misty and left the restaurant. He decided to walk to Olivia's house just to clear his head.

Olivia woke both of the kids up and waited until Noah was in his room before she pulled Nova aside. "Good morning sweetheart. How are you feeling today?" Nova looked at Olivia and then quickly averted her gaze, "I'm okay Ms. Olivia. I'm sorry that I had an accident" she said softly. "It's okay, I promise. I have nightmares sometimes too." "You do? How do you make them go away?" "Sometimes they go away on their own and sometimes I need a little help to make them go away." "What kind of help?" "Music mostly. But sometimes arts and crafts work out just fine." "You sing?" "A little. I sing songs to Noah all the time." "What about me and daddy?" "I would love to sing for you. I'm not sure if you're daddy wants me to sing to him, but I don't mind" Olivia said with a sweet smile. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bit her lip before turning her attention back to Nova. "Speaking of your daddy, why don't you want to tell your daddy about your scars?" Nova's bowed her head lower, "I don't want daddy to be sad." Olivia lifted Nova's chin between her thumb and index finger. "Good mommies and daddies want to protect their babies all the time. Your daddy may be a little sad because of the scars but it's because he'll feel like he didn't protect you. Your daddy wants to keep you happy for the rest of your life. I promised you that I wouldn't tell, but you should tell your daddy. He only wants to protect you. He won't hurt you the way your mommy did." Nova didn't respond but Olivia saw the stray tears fall. She reached out and wiped them away. They both heard Noah coming back and Olivia stood up and finished packing their picnic basket. "Are we ready to go?" "Ready." Olivia scribbled out a quick note for Dominic and locked up place and they set off for Central Park.

Olivia was setting up the picnic when Rollins spotted her and jogged over. "Hey boss. Hey Noah." Olivia smiled, "Hey. This is Nova." The kids greeted Amanda before running off nearby to play. Amanda made herself comfortable next to Olivia on the oversized blanket. She pulled a bag of chips out of her pocket and started munching. "Whose kid is Nova? Unless you went and got a kid over the weekend." Amanda prodded. "She's the daughter of a friend of mine. We reconnected this past weekend and I'm watching her for him." "Him? Reconnecting you say?" Amanda said as she waggled her eyebrows. Olivia laughed, "Not like that. He's a good guy. He's a single dad and I'm a single mom so, I definitely know what it's like to feel overwhelmed and need a break every once in a while." Amanda let it go, for the moment, "Speaking of needing a break…we have new people coming to the squad?" "Yes, we do. SVU has been far too understaffed for far too long. Don't worry, they are all good cops. I know this personally. As a bonus, they are primarily women. SVU will now be estrogen dominated rather than testosterone." Amanda rested her body back on her arms that were extended in the opposite direction. "You gonna tell me about them or do I have to wait with bated breath?"

"Our new Sargent will be Monique Jeffries-Green." "Jeffries? I heard Munch talk about her. She was his old partner, right?" "Yes, she was. She is also one of my best friends. She needed to get away from SVU back in the day so, she did; now she's back. There are about 7 others transferring in; all women except one." "Whew. So, am I going to clash with anybody?" "Everyone is opinionated; you probably will. The good thing is that we all want the same thing…justice for the victims. We are all going to have to accept the changes for SVU and make the best of them. I'm honestly just happy that we finally have enough bodies for the work. You and Carisi have been clocking OT like crazy." "I'm not complaining at all Liv." Olivia laughed, "I know." "Thanks for all the info about the new recruits but uh this distraction isn't going to make me forget about your mystery man."

"What mystery man?" Olivia and Amanda turned around towards the other voice and Olivia found herself a bit speechless as to who she was looking at. Olivia was looking like a cross between a deer in headlights and a fish out of water. Jeffries, Casey, Alex, and Stella all stood before Olivia and Amanda. Olivia got herself to together, "Amanda, this is Stella and Monique. Gremlins, this is Amanda Rollins." "APD?" Stella asked with a curious brow. Amanda chuckled nervously and ran a hand through her hair, "How much did you tell them about me?" "She didn't. I had a case spill over into your jurisdiction. I didn't like you colleagues and I specifically requested you, but I was informed that you'd relocated to the Big Apple." "Why'd you request me?" Stella gave a small smirk, "Because you were in my seminar on blood analysis. You were on the left end of the second row and you had more questions than anyone. Your hair was shorter and a bit darker then." Amanda's cheeks reddened and she bow her head in embarrassment, "Yeah. Never go brown from a box. It will come out copper." The women all laughed and Olivia made room for them. She looked over her shoulder to look for Noah and Nova; she smiled when she saw some of her friends' kids playing happily with them. They all loved Noah but Olivia didn't want Nova to feel overwhelmed. The smile on her face put Olivia's mind at ease and she turned back around to face the group. Monique grabbed the bag of fruit in Olivia's lap and opened it, "Who's this mystery man that you haven't owned up to?" She looked up and saw Olivia staring daggers at her. She just smiled and passed the bag around to everyone else. "Dominic Pruitt" Olivia muttered. Monique choked on the cherry that she was chewing. "Dominic Pruitt! The marine?" "What Marine?" Alex asked.

"Dammit Moe!" Olivia hissed. Monique gave Olivia a wicked grin before turning back to the group, "Dominic Pruitt was a marine that crossed paths with our dear little Livy bear here." " _Is_ a marine. You know I hate it when you call me that." Monique ignored Oliva and waved her hand dismissively. "Anyways, Livy bear was working a case of a missing marine that turned out to be dead. Dominic was a suspect but ultimately cleared and he gave Babygirl here some wise words that she has yet to live up to." Olivia bowed her head and thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have a completely fair complexion. "What was the advice?" Stella asked as she started eating the apple slices. "He told her to quit kicking herself." "Well, I think that Monique is right" Amanda murmured out. Olivia's eyes nearly bugged out, "Amanda!" "What? Don't look at me like that. Liv, you carry the full weight of every case, start to finish, on your shoulders. You put way too much pressure on yourself to be the savior and everybody knows it. Correct me if I'm wrong." Amanda looked at everyone and took pride in the notion that no one told her she was wrong. Olivia rolled her eyes and mumbled to herself before turning around after she felt a tap on her shoulder. Olivia turned to see Nova's big brown eyes staring back at her before the little girl hugged her tightly around the neck. Olivia pulled away with a wide smile, "Hey there sweetheart. Are you having a good time?" Nova shook her head yes. "Nova, these are some of my friends. This is Monique, Alex, Casey, Stella, and Amanda. Guys this is Nova, Dominic's daughter. Can you say hello to them?" "Hello. Nice to meet you" Nova greeted politely and shook their hands.

"She's such a doll" Casey cooed and Nova looked down blushing. Olivia gave her the other bag of fruit and watched as made to sprint off, "Careful Nova. Don't run too fast or you'll fall." "Sorry Ms. Olivia." Olivia's friends stared at her as she watched Nova's every step. She turned back around and realized that she was being scrutinized. She cleared her throat yet Casey cut her next statement short, "Is anyone going to say it? Are you and Dominic dating Liv?" Olivia shook her head, "No we're not dating." "But you want to?" Alex egged on. "I never said that. Dominic and I are friends and watching Nova is a favor for a friend. And don't even think about saying that I don't do favors for you. I watch all of your kids without complaint." Olivia defended defiantly. Stella chuckled to herself, "You watch all of our _boys_ without complaint but we all know that India nearly has a coronary anytime one of our girls gets near you. Care to explain why that happens Moe?" Monique looked at everyone and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "India is my only girl and my youngest. She's been around Liv the longest since she's been on the planet. She's territorial of her Livy. All of our girls are different ages, but you guys and your families have moved away and lived in other places. India's been around Liv at least once a week, every week, for her entire life. She doesn't have to worry about that at home because she has her dad and brothers wrapped around her finger."

Alex leaned back on her elbows, "Remember last year when she absolutely refused to go to the ice rink with me and Serena because Stephanie was old enough to skate. India would prefer to be the only girl in this circle." Olivia chuckled and shook her head, but her laughter was cut short when she heard Noah screaming. They all turned around as the kids started coming in their direction, "Quit it India!" Noah yelled at the 7-year-old. Noah ran over to Olivia, "Mommy India's being mean to Nova. She won't play with her and she pushed her off the slide." Monique's eyes cut sharply at her daughter while Olivia pulled Nova down into her lap. Monique grabbed India's wrist, "What is wrong with you India? Why would you push her?" "Because it's not fair! She's my Livy! Not hers! I hate her. I hate everybody that wants my Livy!" India screamed before folding her arms over her chest and pouting. "India Angelica Green. The world does not revolve around you. I understand that you love your Livy but you have to realize that other people love her too. You had no right to be mean to Nova and you will apologize for pushing her. The same way that you share mommy and daddy with other people is the same way that you will share Livy. You will **not** be having sleepovers with Livy for the next month. You need to earn that privilege back. Now apologize to Nova and wipe your eyes before I give you a reason to cry."

India had dissolved into tears by now. She wiped her eyes and looked at Nova with watery eyes and mumbled an apology. "Louder India. She couldn't hear you." India turned to her mother and choked on a sob and broke down before looking at Nova again, "I'm sssssorry I pushed you. I'm sorry I was mmmean." Olivia looked down at Nova, who had balled herself up in Olivia's lap, and lifted her head, "Do you accept India's apology Nova?" India looked at Nova with eyes silently pleading for her to say yes before she shook her head yes. "Okay. Do you want to eat or finish playing?" Nova murmured that she wanted to keep playing and the got out of Olivia's lap and walked slowly back to the play area. Monique grabbed India's arm before she could take off and forced her to sit down. She attempted to start up the waterworks again but a stern look from her mother stopped it and she just sat down and quietly sulked. Noah hadn't moved from his spot behind Olivia. He continued to glare at India before he slowly started to walk back to the playground. "If I were you, I'd go ahead and date Dominic because Noah is protecting her like a brother would." Amanda whispered in Olivia's ear, causing the brunette to let out a nervous chuckle at the fact that Amanda was spot on.

XXXXXXXXxxooooooooooXXXXXXXXX

Oliva, Noah, and Nova sluggishly made their way into the loft. Olivia was surprised to smell something cooking. She looked at her slow cooker and smiled at what looked like chili slowly bubbly away. She helped the kids get out of their jackets and she let them watch TV in the living room. She poked her head into her bedroom and was relieved to see Dominic practically passed out at an uncomfortable angle in her bed. She tiptoed over slowly and gently lifted his heavy legs onto the bed. She took her shoes off, closed her bedroom window curtains, and slipped quietly out the room. Dominic woke up some time later and slowly took in his surroundings. He realized that he was still in Olivia's bedroom, in her extremely comfortable bed, and then he searched for his watch. He squinted as he tried to read the time. His eyes widened and he jolted upright after realizing that he'd slept for 9 hours and left chili cooking in the kitchen. He prayed that he hadn't ruined Olivia's kitchen after trying to make her a thank-you meal. Just as he reached the door to her bedroom, he heard soft laughter that was Olivia's. He exited the room and was hit with two small figures wrapped around his legs. Nova was curled around his leg like a cat and Noah had a tighter grip on his hip. He looked around for Olivia and smiled when he saw he come out of the laundry room. She smiled at him and put the phone back up to her ear and continued to speak in French. _She speaks different languages?_ Dominic kneeled down and hugged both kids. "Did you guys have fun?" They both nodded excitedly and Nova recounted everything she did, minus the India situation. She bragged about how Noah made her go really high on the swing, how he helped her on the monkey bars, and how he helped her catch a butterfly before releasing it. Dominic had never seen such joy in her eyes until that moment. He knew that no matter what Nova loved Noah to death and he hoped that he'd never have to separate them. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he ruined his daughter's happiness.

Dominic looked up again for Olivia and she stood about 5 feet from him, her phone gone and somewhere else. "Thank you for making chili. We really enjoyed it." "Thank you for watching Nova and letting me sleep here." She gave a small smile and ignored his thanks once again. "The hospital called you while you were sleeping. One of you friends swapped out with you for the time being. There's no change and you're not expected back for another hour and a half. He also said to bring him a pipe bomb and a heart attack. He said that you knew what that meant." Olivia finished with confusion gracing her features. Dominic knew exactly which friend call him and he was grateful that he was able to get more sleep than he intended. He thanked her again, much to her dismay, and went to make himself some chili. Olivia looked at Nova and motioned towards her father. Olivia kept Noah occupied with a jigsaw puzzle while Nova walked slowly towards her father. "Daddy? Can I tell you something?" Olivia saw the confusion on his face and nodded her head in the direction of her bedroom. Dominic took her hand and went into Oliva's bedroom.

Dominic could see that Nova was struggling with whatever she had to tell him, so he pulled her into a hug to soothe her. "What's wrong angel?" "I don't want you to cry daddy. Ms. Olivia told me that you needed to know." "What is it that I need to know? What are you afraid to tell me? Whatever it is, I'll be okay, I promise." Nova pulled herself out of her father's embrace and pulled her shirt up to expose her stomach. Dominic felt his heart breaking and he choked back a sob, "Who did that to you?" "It was mommy. She said that I was being a bad girl and that I needed to be punished. Ms. Olivia said that good mommies don't hurt their babies." "She's right. They don't. They protect them and love them always." Nova bowed her head, "Spanky and Nana saw them but I didn't want them to tell you because I don't like you sad. You saw the bump on my head and you were sad, I like you happy daddy. Please don't be mad at Spanky and Nana." Dominic held her close to his chest and kissed her head, "Don't be mad at mommy" she said into his chest. "Why don't you want me to be mad at mommy?" Nova didn't say anything for a bit and shrugged her shoulders before putting her head against her father's heart, "I love mommy."

Olivia started to get worried after a while but she wouldn't intrude on a conversation that they needed to have. She and Noah were nearly done with the puzzle but he refused to finish it without Nova, even though there were only three puzzle pieces left. Olivia heard her bedroom door open and Nova walked out. Noah smiled at her and she ran over to help him finish the practically done puzzle. Olivia got up and knocked on the doorframe before walking into her bedroom. She closed the door a little as she watched Dominic holding his head in his hands. She saw the slight shaking in his shoulders and realized that he was crying. She got on the ground in front of him. He didn't move so, she spread his legs a bit more and got in-between them. Oliva slowly pulled his hands away from his face and hugged him tightly. Dominic held onto Oliva as if she were his lifeline as he cried into her neck. He sat up straighter on the bed and pulled Olivia in tighter. She was now straddling his hips and holding him just as tight. His grip was significantly tighter than hers, pushing against her ribs, but she didn't tell him to stop. She let him cry into her neck and shoulder as she kept one hand on his neck and used the other to rub soothing motions onto his back. Dominic pulled away first, "Olivia I—I—I thank you. She probably never would've told me. Thank you for making her feel comfortable enough to tell me herself. That evil bitch put scars on my baby. She said that only you, Spanky, and her Nana knows." Olivia cradled Dominic's face in her hands, "She will be okay. She is a strong little girl with a big heart. Spanky and Nana didn't tell you because of the same reason why I wouldn't have. Nova trusted us enough to let us see. She loves you enough to never want to see you sad and crying." Dominic feared that he'd choke on his words, so he said nothing and opted to shake his head. Olivia climbed out of his lap and sat down next to him on the bed, "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure." "Who is Spanky and why did you never mention your family?" Dominic bent his head, "I don't have one. I grew up in foster care. The longest time I spent out of a group home was for 2 years. My foster mother took me in when I was 14 years old but I worked hard to get emancipated at 16. It's not that she didn't love me or take care of me, but she had too many kids. She could never tell a child no and I didn't want her jumping through hoops to provide for all of us. She never cared about the checks; she cared about us. She deserved a bit of a break and it made sense at the time. She wasn't happy about it, but she respected it. She never turned her back on me, and offered me a bed at her house whenever I needed it. She was the only foster parent that ever looked at me as a person instead of a monthly stipend. For years, she was the only reason why I looked forward to leave from work. She stills takes in kids and she can still rip me a new asshole with a smile on her face. She was big on discipline and didn't hesitate to keep us in check. Over the years, she dubbed the nickname Spanky and it just stuck." Olivia chuckled along with him and laced their fingers together, "And Nana? Did you reconnect with your biological family?" Dominic avoided her gaze and she tugged on his hand. "You'll think it's stupid." Olivia looked at him pointedly, "No I won't. Try me."

"Nova's Nana is Jessie's mom Sandra. It was hard to face them after Jessie's death. I figured that since Nova didn't have family besides me and Spanky, it was a better fit. Jessie's folks never got to meet their granddaughter and now they have Nova. I know it's stupid and I'm chasing ghosts." Olivia pushed on Dominic's shoulder until he looked into her chocolate eyes, "I don't think it's stupid. I think that giving Jessie's parents the granddaughter they never met, was the sweetest thing ever. I think that you have a really big heart in spite of what you went through. You are an amazing man Dom…don't ever doubt that. You could've turned out completely different." "Same goes for you." Olivia's small smile faded as her walls went back up immediately. "I'm exactly the way I should've turned out." "You don't believe that do you? I'm not blind. I saw a lot of pictures of you with friends but not a single one of you and your parents. You didn't have a cookie cutter childhood either." "Who does?" Olivia whispered. Dominic felt like an ass for making her uncomfortable, "Nova still loves her. In spite of what she did to her, she still loves her." Olivia rose from the bed when the kids started calling her name, "She loved her because she's her mother. Regardless as to how damaged and broken she was, she's still her mother. She loves her because no one else will." Olivia's eyes pleaded for Dominic to not press further on the subject, so he didn't. He cleared his throat, "Nana came back from the Poconos early. She wants to watch Nova tonight. In a couple of days Spanky will be back in town, so everything goes back to normal. I can't thank you enough for helping out with Nova. I guess we better get ready to head out." Dominic hoped that Olivia would try to stop him and say anything, but she didn't even flinch. He bowed his head dejectedly and squeezed past her and left the bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I went back and read chapter 4 and made a massive change before reposting it. Thank you for the review from the guest who warned me that others may have gotten confused with all the extra people. Olivia will still have her best friends in her life. This story is primarily about Olivia and Dominic, so I have decided to ensure that Olivia's job will be glossed over without much depth so that I can focus more on the main characters. This is just a short filler chapter. Happy Reading.**

Chapter 5: Call

Olivia looked out of her office window and felt at peace. For once, SVU finally had enough people to equally share the work. She was happy that Fin brought Jeffries back up to speed on things while Carisi and Rollins jumped in to help everyone else get settled and learn protocol. She kept herself huddled up into the comfort of her semi-private office. She closed her blinds before plopping down at her desk and turning her chair to face the window behind her. When her office door opened, she didn't need to turn around to know it was Jeffries. Olivia knew that the first chance that Monique got, she'd be trying to pry information out of her. The door to the office closed and Olivia smelled Monique's usual peppermint perfume. Olivia didn't turn around, so Monique perched herself on the desk. They both sat in uncomfortable silence until Olivia heard her desk drawers being opened. She whipped around and Monique stop opening and closing drawers. "You haven't changed one bit Olivia. You'll acknowledge me when you think I'm messing with your stuff." Olivia pulled her chair in front on her desk and grabbed the pen out of Monique's hand. "Because you always do mess with my stuff." Monique wiped non-existent dirt off her boot before looking Olivia directly in the eyes. "What's wrong? Don't even think about lying to me; I know you better than you know yourself. Spill." Olivia worried the inside of her lip but continued to avoid eye contact. "What happened with Dominic? You pulled away from him, didn't you?"

Olivia's only response was to look at Monique with wide chocolate orbs. "What the fuck Olly! We have talked about this. Why do you keep everyone at arm's length?" "I don't keep you at arm's length." Olivia quickly fired back. "I am the exception to the rule. Why? What did he do that was so wrong?" "He told me that he was a foster kid and guided the conversation in my direction from there." "Big fucking deal! Both of you had a rocky childhood, join the club. My house was a hot mess, but I am who I am in spite of it. Olivia listen to me. You are not your mother and you prove that everyday by loving Noah with every fiber of your being and giving 110% to this job. You ever think that your mom started drinking for another reason other than you?" Olivia scoffed, "Like what? I was a damn good reminder as to why her life turned to shit!" Monique held up a finger, "First of all, despite what happened to her, your mother was an English professor. We have both seem how a rape can knock a normal person from grace and into the pits of hell. Your mother rose well above that. She spent the important years that you were growing up to teach you morals and values. How many rape victims have you come across that can still be that rock and important figure for their children? You jump to conclusions; your mother never came right out and told you that you jumpstarted her drinking. She could've became an alcoholic for so many different reasons. I also think that you are judging him harshly." "Excuse me? What would you-" "I know that you are comparing him to that ass of an ex-partner Stabler, that supreme asshole Cassidy, and the pompous, self-righteous dick Haden. From what you told me then and now, Dominic is a solid guy. I don't have to be in a room with him to see that he has it bad for you." "Moe" Olivia drawled out and she shook her head.

"Don't Moe me. You said it yourself that he was a single dad. You and I both nearly lose our marbles if we don't have eyes on our kids. You expect me to believe that he'd just be willing to leave his daughter with you if he didn't trust you? She is his whole world just like Noah is yours. You have to mean something to him, other than a detective, for him to trust you to watch his daughter overnight. Why are you shutting him out when he's trying to get you open up and trust him?"

Olivia started to toy with her watch and a light went off in Monique's head, "Lewis." At the sound of his name, Olivia involuntarily shuttered and bit back her lip to keep her tears in. "Don't do that Olivia. Do not shut me out again. It took me way too long to get you to talk to me about Lewis for you to shut me out now. Is this about nightmares? The scars?" Olivia shook her head unable to speak and Monique grabbed her hands and urged her to look up. "Please listen to every word I'm about to say to you. Olivia Margret 'Olly Lolly' Benson you are the most beautiful woman that I've ever met inside and out. If anyone deserves to be worshiped and cherished…it's you. We all have scars. Some are emotional, physical, and sometimes both. I am beyond grateful for having you in my life. Your scars are skin deep. He will not care. He isn't Stabler, Cassidy, or Haden. He is Dominic Pruitt, Marine that's coo coo for your Cocoa Puffs. His daughter is crazy about you and I know you feel the same. Noah loves the hell out of her and we can all tell. Just give Dominic a chance to know you…the unguarded you. Let him see you at your core so that he can help you to see what the rest of us see. If I'm wrong you can kick my ass, but that won't happen. You need a happy ending too."

Olivia's shoulders started to shake halfway through Monique's speech and she couldn't stop the tears from running down her face. She grabbed a napkin and a mirror to clean her face. "What would I do without you Moe?" "Well ya know….become a Lifetime movie, be the new spokesperson for Ben and Jerry's…the usual." Olivia laughed as Monique started going through her drawers again. "What are you looking for?" Olivia asked as she reapplied her mascara. "Cavities. Do you have any candy in this office?" "Bottom drawer." Olivia ran her hands through her hair and looked in the opposite direction when silence finally overtook her office. "What's wrong?" "What the hell is this? Raisins are not candy! Are you trying to make me die of starvation?" Olivia rolled her eyes at Monique's dramatic behavior, "Are you trying to have a mouth full of dentures in the near future?" "That was the plan until you tried to make me fast." "You're not fasting. You're always eating! Forgive me if I like my thighs the size that they are." "Oh please. One look at your body and no one believes that you are a full snow bunny." Olivia's retorted stopped when a knock came before her door opened. Rollins poked her head in, "Liv, Dodds is on his way up." Olivia quelled the urge to tell him to fuck off by forcing out a fake smile.

"Hey Candy Cane, you got any chocolate? Bugs Bunny over here is trying to make me whither away." Rollins let out a hearty laugh and shook her head yes before pointing to where she kept her stash of M&Ms. Rollins went to fill up her coffee cup and Monique turned around to leave Olivia with one more thought, "You have until the end of the day to call him or I'm bringing in reinforcements."


	6. Chapter 6

"What's wrong Johnny Bravo?" Dominic smiled at the nickname Spanky gave him when he was a kid. He looked up into her round brown face with gentle black eyes and laugh lines that gently tugged at her eyes and mouth. "Don't make me beat it out of you. What's wrong?" "Why do you think something's wrong Spanky?" She hit him with the handle of the wooden spoon she was using to stir something in a pot. "Give me a direct answer Dominic." Dominic let out a breath and moved past Spanky in the small, but comfortable kitchen to grab a bowl out of the cabinet. "I ran into a person that I met a while back and it got a lot more complicated than I thought it would." "Who exactly was this person to you in the past? A friend? Lover? Co-worker? What?" Dominic let out a breath, "She's a detective. I met her years ago and-" "Wait a minute, a detective? Detective Benson?" Dominic hung his head, "Yes, Detective Benson." "You had a crush on her. I could tell even then that you had the warm fuzzies for her. What happened now? It's been what—6 or 7 years—did she hurt you? If she did—" Dominic put both of his hands on Spanky's shoulders to calm the feisty woman. "She didn't. She has a son now and they both met Nova. I've never seen Nova as happy as she is when Noah's around. He is really protective of her and he has so much patience with her. One of the guys I work with had a PTSD episode and wound up in the hospital. He has a really long road ahead of him but he's alive. Anyways, Olivia and I ran into each other at the park and she invited Nova and I to lunch with her and Noah. We were there when I got that call from the hospital and she volunteered to watch Nova. That was the first time that I didn't hesitate or feel uneasy with letting someone watch her. Olivia made Nova comfortable enough that she told me about what her 'mother' did to her. Nova told and showed me the scars."

Spanky's eyes shined with unshed tears and she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. Dominic covered her small hand with his and he heard Spanky's breath hitch. "I'm not mad at you. Nova told me why she asked you not to tell me about the scars. I'm not mad at either one of you. She was right; I probably would've broke down and did something so stupid." Spanky cleared her throat, "So why isn't Olivia here with you right now? She seems like a sweet woman with a big heart. And I know from our past conversations that she doesn't take any bullshit. Why isn't she sitting next to you?" Dominic pulled away, "Because I'm an idiot. She started to open up a little with me and I put my foot in my mouth. I could tell that she didn't have an easy childhood and I spoke on it. She shut down and that was the end of that. She was so good to me and Nova and I just had to ruin it by opening my mouth. I'm an idiot." "You are not an idiot Johnny Bravo. You just want to love someone with your whole heart and have them love you back the same way. I don't know this woman personally, but anyone who can get you _and_ Nova to let your guards down is okay in my book. Do you remember how long it took me to get you to open up? You were a teenager and it took me 15 months just to get you to talk to me. She's a fully functioning adult woman. Give her some time and keep trying." "What if it's not worth it? What if it amounts to nothing?" "Then you'll have your answer. I think she's a keeper…just one that you have to work at." Dominic smiled to himself and accepted the bowl of stew handed to him as he started to eat. The loud sounds of children's laughter and shoes tapping the ground alerted both adults to the oncoming group of children.

All 8 of them flew around the corner and all managed to comically come to an abrupt stop when they saw the stern look and raised eyebrow on Spanky's face. She silently pointed to the _No Running in the House_ sign on the wall and they murmured an apology. They shuffled into the large booth on one side of the kitchen and waited for food to be handed to them. Dominic's phone buzzed as he helped Spanky feed the kids. _Text Message from Olivia Benson: I would like the clear the air from our last conversation. Would you like to meet up for a smoothie? Let me know._

Dominic's brow furrowed and Spanky grabbed both bowls from him and placed them in front of the hungry kids. She kissed Nova on the forehead as she came downstairs and sat down at the table to eat. She put her chin on Dominic's shoulder. "Just say yes." He turned his head, "Yes to what?" "To whatever apology I'm sure that she's just given you." "How did you-" Dominic looked at the smug look on Spanky's face before muttering, "Nevemind." Dominic responded to Olivia's text and sat down at the other end of the large table to talk to the kids.

Olivia heard her phone chime and she forced herself not to run and grab it. She laid back into the chair and pressed the vibrating button. Jeffries rolled her eyes and snatched Olivia's phone out of her purse. "He said yes. You know it's a shame that I had to threaten reinforcements just for you to contact the man." Olivia huffed out a breath, "Fine Mo. You were right. You are always right." Jeffries sat up, careful not to bump the nail tech, and studied Olivia. "What's with the pout? The man would grovel at your feet without hesitation." "The problem is that I'm not his age" Olivia bit out in a whisper. Jeffries laughed, "Are you not familiar with How Stella Got Her Groove Back? Breakfast at Tiffany's? Cougar Club? Something's Gotta Give? Unfaithful? The Boy Next Door?" Olivia didn't respond but she heard horribly muffled laughter. Her head whipped around to see the rest of her friends laughing at her while she turned beet red.

"Seriously Moe? This is not funny!" "Yes it is. If you don't date him, then at least mount him!" Olivia wanted the floor to swallow her up while everyone else laughed at her expense. She opened her eyes and finally laughed along with them and they all enjoyed the rest of their nail appointment.

It had been two days since Dominic responded to her text, but neither one of them actually agreed upon a meet up time or place. Dominic was starting to think that maybe one of her friends texted him or if she changed her mind. Nova tugged on his hand, "Daddy can we go see the ducks?" "Of course baby girl." The father-daughter duo made their way towards the nearby pond with ducks. Dominic sat down on the edge of the pond and Nova sat down between his legs. "Did you have a good time with Spanky?" Nova shook her head yes. "I liked when I painted with Ariana. She has pretty hair." "Are you and Ariana friends now?" "Yep. I like Brandon too. He likes snails." Dominic laughed at the face she made, "Who else do you like?" "Um, I like Rachel and Andrew. Noah, my bestest friend, and I like Ms. Olivia too." Noah's your best friend huh?" "Yeah. He helped me play the basketball game. We did a big puzzle together and he likes the movies that I like. Oooh and we built a fort and got to sleep in it. I can't wait to do that again." "That sounds like a blast." Dominic and Nova sat in silence for a few moments before Nova turned around in his arms.

"Daddy, is Ms. Olivia your friend?" Dominic hesitated before speaking. "Yeah baby. I believe that she is my friend. Why?" "I like that you have a friend like Ms. Olivia. She's nice and really pretty." "You're really pretty too." "You're pretty daddy." Dominic made a face and Nova squealed before he picked her up and held her upside down to tickle her. They both laughed loudly before he brought her back down and ceased the tickling. "Boys aren't pretty. Boys are handsome. Daddy is a boy. That makes daddy handsome." Nova giggled, "Okay Daddy, you're handsome." Nova kept tugging at her father's hands until she convinced him to stand up. Nova grabbed her father's hand tightly and they strolled slowly through the park. Nova screeched loudly, causing Dominic to jump slightly, as she saw a familiar face nearby. Her scream got the wanted person's attention and they both ran to each other. "Noah!" "Nova!" Dominic didn't move for a moment; he watched the brunette and prayed that when she turned around, he'd see her beautiful face again. When the woman turned around, Dominic's face fell when he saw that it wasn't Olivia…but someone much younger. She gave him a wide smile as she walked over to try and wrangle Noah back with her. Dominic slightly blocked Noah and Nova with his right leg. "Excuse me, who are you? I know his mother but I don't know you at all. Why are you with Noah?" "I'm Lucy, Noah's nanny. Olivia is out running some errands. I usually have Noah whenever she's working or needs to get some things done quickly. You must be Dominic? Noah has been talking about you all day. Your daughter is beautiful." Dominic sized Lucy up and nodded his head. "Thank you. How long have you been Noah's nanny? Do you speak French?" "Since the day Olivia brought him home. No, I don't speak French…Olivia does." Lucy's brows furrowed together before a lightbulb went off in her head. "Did Olivia speak French in front of you?" Dominic nodded his head. "She only speaks French at home." Lucy said with a small smirk.

She cleared her throat, "Olivia only speaks French with her aunt. Would you like for me to call her? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you. Noah certainly is." Lucy noted how reserved and apprehensive he was being. She looked down at the kids, who were ignoring the both of them and talking amongst themselves. "Is everything okay with you and Olivia? She's been a bit withdrawn and sporting the same look that you are." Dominic mentally scolded himself and hung his head. "Can I ask you a question Lucy?" Lucy shook her head eagerly, "Of course." "How do I get Olivia to talk to me again?" "She's a very private and reserved person. She keeps things to herself because she hates opening up. The best advice I can give for you is to keep trying."

Unbeknownst to them, Olivia and her friends were walking through the park in hopes of surprising Noah when a sight caused her to freeze in place. Olivia watched as Lucy and Dominic talked. She felt her stomach turn when she saw Lucy and Dominic share a wide smile before Lucy placed a hand on his bicep. _She's my nanny. Lucy is going to take him from me. Of course he'd want a woman that was closer to his age._ Olivia felt tears prick her eyes and Jeffries pulled at her arm. "Come on Liv. We'll just surprise Noah later on today. Olivia felt the tugging but couldn't make her legs move. She let a couple of tears fall as she forcefully chucked her coffee into a nearby trashcan. "So much for Stella Got Her Groove Back."

As the group of women walked away, Lucy and Dominic turned around and caught a glimpse of Oliva storming off and a couple of her friends glaring at them before doing the same.


	7. Chapter 7

"Olivia are you okay?" Lucy asked shyly from her position at the edge of the kitchen. Olivia still had her back to Lucy as she angrily opened and closed cabinets. Luckily, Noah was preoccupied in his room and didn't seem to even notice the two women. She reached back to grab the last grocery bag, without facing Lucy, but Lucy grabbed her hand that was wrapped around the bag. Lucy actually looked frightened when Olivia turned around with a stormy look. "I don't need your help today or the rest of this week Lucy. Noah will be spending time with me and my friends' kids." "But Olivia-" "I said I don't need you this week!" Olivia yanked her hand away from Lucy's and walked into her bedroom. Lucy wiped away a tear before slowly following Olivia. Olivia felt the younger woman's presence but chose to ignore it and keep her back turned. "Olivia. Olivia I saw you at the park. It's not what you think." Olivia turned around, "What's not what I think?" Lucy hesitated before speaking, "With Dominic. He was asking me advice about you. He didn't know if he'd did something wrong. He just wanted my help with trying to talk to you. Olivia, Dominic only has eyes for you. He's afraid of losing you." "Did he tell you that?" Olivia whispered with her back still turned. "He didn't have to. His eyes say it. Liv I'm sorry if the situation looked different than it was but I swear that Dominic and I are not interested in each other. I doubt that my boyfriend would even remotely be okay with that."

Olivia felt like such an idiot when she turned around. "You have a boyfriend? How did I not know that?" "Things between us are still kind of new and I wanted to make sure that it was the real thing before I told anybody." Olivia ran a hand over her face, "I am so sorry Lucy. What's wrong with me? I nearly bit your head off over a guy that I'm not even dating." Lucy ran a hand up and down Olivia's forearm. "Why is that exactly? He's been to your place, his little girl and Noah love being around each other, and you're obviously just as nervous and unsure as you are. What are you waiting for?" "How did you know that Dominic has been over before? Did he tell you?" "He didn't know that you spoke French. From my memory, you only speak it when you're at home and with your aunt." Olivia bowed her head and blushed a little. "It's not what you think." Lucy's smile was positively scandalous as she raised a brow and hid a smirk. "I was doing a favor for Dominic. He was busy with work and the kids hit it off so, I offered to keep Nova overnight. That's all that happened." Olivia finished, rushing out the last part.

"Lucy?" "Yeah?" "I am sorry about earlier. I'm not used to having…being…um….jealous of another woman. I shouldn't have snapped at you, but I really don't need your help this week. I'll still pay you and you can spend some quality time with your boyfriend. My friends are back in New York for good and our kids rarely get to see and spend a lot of time together." Lucy cut off Olivia's speech by gently grabbing both of her shoulders. "It's okay. I understand. Thank you but you don't have to pay me." "Of course, I do. You've done and do so much for Noah and I. I insist." Lucy learned over time that arguing with Olivia after she insisted on something was a futile idea that rarely went anywhere. Lucy grabbed her purse, gave Noah a kiss on the cheek, and left the two of them alone. Olivia went into her closet and found a different outfit. She chose a pair of bootcut jeans, a loose-fitting t-shirt, and a pair of wedge sandals. She pulled her hair up into a neat ponytail and opted for minimal makeup with lightly glossed lips. She grabbed one of her bigger purses, simply because she knew that Noah would dump all of his toys in it, and grabbed a few snacks that they may need. Noah came out his room ready until he looked down and saw that he had on two different shoes. Olivia chuckled and grabbed two bottles of water, a Bumblebee model car, and her phone charger. Noah finished and came back into the living room. "Ready to go buddy?" Noah nodded yes and they both left the apartment.

Olivia sat at the table with her friends as they kept an eye on their kids bouncing in a room full of trampolines. The women were snacking on food and enjoying lively conversation when Rollins spotted a group walking through the door. She saw 8 or 9 kids of all ages, a short brown-skinned woman, and none other than Dominic Pruitt. She glanced at Olivia, who had her head thrown back in laughter, and tried to get Jeffries' attention. _Order #49 is ready. I repeat Order # 49 is ready._ Casey popped up, happy to be getting more food, and urged someone in the group to help. When no one responded, Casey nudged Olivia. "Come on Liv. Help me get the food." "Why do you need help? What did you order?" Casey looked away and bit her lip shyly, "One of everything on the menu." Olivia's jaw dropped comically but Casey dragged her away by her arm before she could reprimand her. Olivia and Casey waited for the cashier to come towards them as she scanned the room and made sure that she had eyes on Noah. To her left, unbeknownst to her, Dominic quietly stood beside her. She remained oblivious to him as four trays were slide in front of her and Casey. "Case! Are you pregnant again?" "No. I didn't know what was good or what I wanted so…-" "So you ordered everything?" Casey's defiant streak shone bright, "Don't look at me like that! There are 9 of us at that table!" "Yeah but only 4 of us actually eat. Everyone else is 'watching their figure'." Casey let out a loud laugh, "My husband watches mine. Who's watching yours?" Casey asked with a teasing smirk.

"That'd be me." Dominic said with a grunt as his surprise comment caused him to be the recipient of a couple of Olivia's many reflexes. He held his jaw with one hand and his stomach with the other. "Shit Dominic! Are you crazy? You don't sneak up on a cop!" Olivia grabbed her chest and try to slow her heartrate. Casey looked on at the two of them, smiling and eating a fry. Rollins came up to the counter and the two of them took the food back to the table. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Dominic pretended to be fine, but in all honesty, Olivia's tiny hands gave a sharper impact than he was used to. "Nothing a Marine can't handle." Olivia looked behind her and rolled her eyes slightly at Casey disappearing and taking the food with her. "How did you know I was here Dominic?" "I didn't. Spanky and I brought the kids here for a night out. I came to get snacks. What's good here?" "I have no idea. You'd have to ask Casey about that one." Dominic took a closer step and Olivia took one back. Dominic saw her hesitate. "Olivia, I saw you at the park. I just wanted to clear up what you may have seen." "There's no need." Dominic didn't miss the clipped tone and hesitation in her words. "Olivia are you afraid of something? Of me?" "Yes. I'm afraid of you." Dominic felt his stomach lurch and he stepped away from her. "Why?" "Because you'll destroy me. Or I just might destroy you." "Olivia, neither one of us are monsters, especially not you." Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Dominic what are we doing? We're friends right? Why does it all seem so complicated?" Olivia could feel Dominic step forward, but she didn't open her eyes. "We are friends. But I don't want you as a friend. I want to explore something more with you." "Dominic you should find someone else. Someone closer to your age without so much baggage." Dominic held Olivia's face and planted a warm kiss to her cheek. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I don't want someone else. I want you. I want to worship the ground you walk on and cherish you for the rest of my days. I want to sleep beside you and wake up to you. I want to teach Noah all the things that a father should and I want you to teach Nova about all the things a mother should. I want to show you off to the world and have you at the center of mine. I want to make love to you and no one else. I want to be your rock and I want you to be my peace. You had my attention when I first saw you. You invade my thoughts morning, noon, and night. I don't want to call another woman my wife. I don't want Nova to call anyone Mommy. I don't want Noah to call anybody but me daddy. Is that specific enough for you Olivia? I'm all in. Let me know when you decide." Dominic kissed her cheek again and stepped away, but Olivia pulled him back to her. He could see the tears shining in her beautiful brown eyes. "Dominic I'm no good at this." Neither am I. It takes practice. Do you want to learn how to do this with me?" "Dom-" Dominic placed a gentle kiss to her lips that left her wanting more. "Yes but only if we go slow." Dominic smiled and rested their foreheads together, "As slow as you want baby. By the way, you having some explaining to do." Olivia groaned, "They've been watching us this entire time huh?" "Like a hawk."


	8. Chapter 8

Dominic started to pull away from Olivia but she held his wrist in a tight grasp. "We are doing this together, starting right now. Dominic you are about to meet part of my overprotective extended family." Dominic smirked as he let Olivia pull him along towards her table. The women at the table pretended not to notice the pair walking up. Olivia cleared her throat to get their attention, "Ladies this is Dominic. Dominic these are some of my friends. This is Amanda, Monique, Alex, Casey, Stella, and Melinda." They all waved and Casey scooted over as she patted the booth seat next to her. Olivia sat down and made room for Dominic. He was about to take a seat when his order number was called. He looked back at Olivia, "Sorry Liv, that's my order." "It's okay. You want some help?" Olivia asked hesitantly. He smiled warmly, "Sure. I'd love some." "I'll be back guys." Olivia said as she took Dominic's extended hand. Amanda smiled to herself as she watched the couple walk off. Dominic and Olivia gathered his food order from the counter and walked to the other side where his group was waiting.

"Olivia this is Spanky and some of the kids that she's taking care of. Spanky, kids this is Olivia." Olivia smiled as the kids waved and some hugged her. Spanky was inspecting her, that she was sure of, but it didn't make her as nervous as she thought it would. Spanky smiled at Olivia and gave her a tight hug, "It's nice to finally meet you Olivia. I've heard a lot about you over the years." Olivia pulled back and snuck a glance at Dominic, who was blushing and not meeting her eye, before responding, "It's nice to meet you too Spanky." "My name is Kenya but everyone calls me Spanky. You can call me whichever you prefer." "Ms. Olivia! I missed you." Olivia was startled momentarily as Nova squeezed the back of her legs. Olivia picked her up, "I missed you too sweetie. I have a surprise for you." "You do? What is it?" Nova beamed jumping up and down. "I left it at my table, but I'll be right back." Olivia rushed over to her table, got something out of her purse, hid it behind her back, and walked back over to Nova.

Nova was bouncing up and down. Oliva spun around a few times, teasing Nova with the sight of an object, before giving in and presenting it to her. Nova squeezed the soft gift but paused before looking up at Olivia. "You really got me a gift?" Olivia kneeled down and cupped Nova's face. "Of course I did sweetie. I really wanted to give this to you and you only." Nova opened up the wrapping and froze in place. Olivia kneeled down in front of Nova. "Noah told me how much you loved the ring-toss and the water gun games. He told me that you were supposed to win one of them but that another kid got the prize. I remember how much you liked the fall and pumpkins so, I got this for you. And when you look in the middle, that's a picture of me, you, and Noah at the park. Maybe we can take one of all of us and your daddy someday." Nova had a single tear roll down her face before she gave Olivia the biggest hug she could. "I love it Ms. Olivia. Thank you!"

Dominic and Spanky watched the two with surprise and happiness. Spanky leaned over to Dominic, "She's a keeper. Don't let her go. That's your happy ending." Olivia looked past Dominic's table and smiled wider, "Nova, I have an even bigger surprise for you. Are you ready?" Nova pulled back from Olivia, "Another surprise? What is it? What is it?" Olivia turned Nova around slowly, "Look up sweetie." Nova followed instructions and took off running. "Noah! I missed you." Noah hugged her back just as hard, "I missed you too." He looked down at the pumpkin, "Mommy gave it to you already. I thought she would at our next playdate. Do you like it?" "I love it! It's pretty." Noah looked down at Nova's knee. "What happened? Did somebody hurt you? Who did it?" Nova looked down, "I fell when I was playing outside at Spanky's house. I didn't see it at first, my nana did and she fixed it." Noah seemed to accept her answer. He grabbed her hand and walked back over to their parents. "Hey Mr. Dominic." "Hey buddy." Noah looked around at all the eyes and introduced himself, "Hi I'm Noah."

Back at Olivia's table, Jeffries slapped a $100 bill on the table. "I've got a Ben Franklin that they'll get married in under a year." "Under a year? Liv's not that easy. I've got $200 on them not getting married in under a year." Alex argued. Amanda made things interesting, "I've got $150 on Olivia ramming her foot up all of our asses when she finds out about this bet." The women laughed and continued to eat their food as their children played the arcade games.

Dominic and Olivia stayed pretty close as the night dragged on. Dominic checked his watch and tensed next to Olivia. "Go ahead Dom. I know it's getting late and you need to make sure that Spanky and the kids get home before it gets too late." Dominic just looked at her and chuckled, "Am I really that obvious?" "Only because you try not to be and I've been reading people for a long time. Go and call me when you get home so that I know you're okay." "Yes ma'am." He leaned over and Olivia closed the distance between them with a sweet kiss. They softly nipped at each other's mouths before pulling away. They turned to see Noah and Nova staring back at them. "Are you guys together?" Noah asked. Olivia cleared her throat and looked at Dominic for help. Dominic interlocked his fingers with hers, "Yes Noah. Your mom and I are together. Is that okay with you buddy? Nova?" Noah and Nova looked at each other before giving one another a high-five "Cool." Olivia kissed Dominic once more, "I guess they're okay with it. Now get everybody home before it gets too late." Dominic got up, grabbed Nova, said his goodbyes to Olivia, Noah, and her friends, and left with Spanky and the kids.

Olivia managed to get Noah settled into bed with little to no fuss. She also got the same picture printed on his dinosaur. She watched him clutch his dinosaur tighter as he slept. Olivia went into the kitchen to grab some fruit when she heard her phone ringing. "Hello Dom. You got home okay?" "Yes, we got home fine. What are you doing right now?" "About to eat cantaloupe, you?" "Watching the highlight reel from the game. You have a minute to talk?" "You regretting this already? That's quite a record for buyer's remorse." Dominic let out a breath, "No I don't regret this. I just wanted us to talk about where this goes. I have questions as I'm sure you do. Why don't we start at the beginning?" "Who's beginning? Mine or yours?" "Whatever you're comfortable with." "This is a 2-way street Dom. You need to comfortable too." Olivia heard him hesitate over the phone, "How much free time do you have?" "As much as you need Dom. What do you want to talk about first?" "You. Everything about you regardless of how bad. What was Olivia Benson like as a child?" Olivia went into her bedroom and settled under the comforter. "This will be a pretty long conversation." "I'm all ears baby."


	9. Chapter 9

Dominic woke with a jolt as something with an even weight hit his leg. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Dominic cleared the sleep from his eyes and blinked rapidly at the young nurse that was looking at him apologetically. "It's okay", Dominic took a glance at her nametag and added, "Jasmine. How is he doing today?" Dominic asked as he looked at his friend. The nurse looked at his chart and looked back at Dominic, "I'll just let the doctor tell you." Dominic immediately started to think that worst as the nurse left and he knew that he needed a distraction while waiting for the doctor. He pulled out his phone and opened his photos to click on a saved video. Dominic's eyes watered as he watched Nova struggling to walk.

" _Nova, walk to daddy. Walk this way my little angel." After a bit of stumbling and frustration, the 2-year-old got her balance and toddled over to her daddy. Dominic was grinning like a fool and showering his little girl with kisses. Dominic put Nova down and watched as the chubby toddler drooled all over her foot. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and content. Dominic knew in that moment that his daughter was his entire life._

Dominic turned the video off as he heard the tell-tell signs of shoes pattering across the hospital tile. He stood up as the doctor entered, "Is he okay? I asked the nurse, but she said that I needed to wait for you. Did something happen?" The doctor gave Dominic a long onceover look and proceeded to push his glasses up on his face. "I assume from the file that you are Mr. Holmes' emergency contact?" Dominic nodded his head before the doctor continued speaking. "Mr. Holmes is still stable for now, but he developed an infection and a rash that we had to treat. He's currently being scheduled for another X-ray, so we can see if the bones are setting in the right way. We are still waiting on some of his tests to come back but there is nothing right this second to worry about." Dominic sat back down and grabbed his friend's hand while the doctor exited the room. "What were you thinking Blake? I know that things were hard, but you could've called me. I would've been there in a heartbeat. Why do you feel like you have to do everything alone?" Dominic bowed his head and listened to the quiet sounds of the machines beeping. Dominic's phone started vibrating in his pocket, and he used his free hand to take it out and read the text message.

 _New Text Message: From Olivia B._

 _How's your friend doing? Any improvement? Don't bottle it up Dom, I'm here for you. No matter what._

Dominic smiled to himself and responded to Olivia telling her that he was fine and that he'd talked to her in person later on. Dominic opened his email and started to reply to some fellow Marines that inquired about Blake's condition. "Sarge" a groggy voice captured Dominic's attention and he was up in a second and at the bedside. "Hey man. You've been catching up on all the sleep that I've been losing." Blake looked down at his body and then looked at all the machines. Dominic saw the tears well up in his eyes, "I'm sorry Sarge. I am so sorry. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in all of this." Dominic shrugged off his apologies, "What happened Blake? Did you have another setback? A flashback? What happened that made you want to die?" Blake hesitated but didn't respond to Dominic's question.

Dominic pulled a chair up and grabbed Blake's hand, "Blake, you can tell me. You can tell me anything." "I know that Sarge. It was just a stupid thing that I did." Dominic wanted to press him, but Blake defelcted. "How's your little one? How old is she now?"

"Nova is good. She's perfect but I'm helping her get it together after what her mom did. She's four." Blake studied Dominic's face as he talked about his daughter. "I'm sorry about that. I remember how relieved you were when she got arrested. Does Nova have to testify?" "Yes she does." "I'm sorry Sarge."

Dominic blew out a long breath, "It's okay. It's just something that we have to do. We'll get through it together." "Of course you will. You two are Pruitts." Dominic paused and looked at Blake. "I wasn't just talking about me and Nova, I was talking about you too Blake. We're all in this together." The two men turned their heads at the new guests that stood in the doorway. Blake gave a lazy smile, "Get out of here Sarge and spend some time with your little girl. Bully and Dewey can keep me company." Dominic chuckled and put his hand on Blake's shoulder before leaning to his ear, "I meant it Blake. I'm here for you. Rest up buddy." Dominic turned to leave the room as the two younger men stood at attention. Dominic smirked to himself, "As you were. Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't try and sweet talk a nurse into letting him smoke." Dominic kept walking as he heard a muffled and low groan, "Come on Sarge."

Dominic walked home from the hospital enjoying the crisp wind in the hair. When he reached his building, he stopped to look at the homeless man that seemed to always migrate towards his building. In the summer and spring, Dominic assumed it was to stay dry and somewhat cool under the large awning; in the fall and winter, Dominic surmised that the heat being blasted in the lobby provided warmth near the front door. Dominic walked inside the building and stopped momentarily to retrieve his mail and climb the stairs to the 4th floor. Dominic reached the landing and turned the corner just as his neighbor struggled with her groceries. Being the gentleman that he was, Dominic lunged for the bag before it hit the ground. "Thank you Dominic" the tall, thin woman said. "You're welcome Sarah. No help today?" Just as he finished his statement, a young boy with wild brown hair flew around the corner on inline skates and stopped just short of hitting the two adults. "Hey Mr. Pruitt." "Hey Shane. You helping your mom with groceries or skating all over the building?" He looked down before looking back up at Dominic. "Your mom needs your help Shane. I know that it's rough right now with your dad being gone but we both know that he's being really brave right now. You're the man of the house until he gets back." "I know. Thanks Mr. Pruitt." The thin woman gave Dominic a warm smile and mouthed 'thank you' before she closed her apartment door.

Dominic spent about a half hour tops in his apartment before heading back down to the lobby. He stepped outside of the building and crouched down. "Hey man. How are you today?" The old man with scraggly salt-and-pepper hair looked at him through glassy green eyes. "I don't need your pity." Dominic let the snarky comment go and eyed the boots that had become a lost cause adorning the homeless man's feet. "I'm sure that you don't want my pity but that pin on your shirt tells me that you're a Vet. We always stick together no matter what Sir. "

Dominic stood and proceeded to walk across the street, taking one glance over his shoulder to see that man eating with gusto, and continued until he got to his destination. About 10 minutes later, Dominic came back over to the man and crouched down. "I'm Dominic Pruitt. And you are?" The older man stopped eating and looked at Dominic curiously before shaking his hand. "Burt McMahon." "Well Burt, this is your room key at that hotel across the street. I got you a room for the next two weeks and if you need it for longer, just let me know. They don't have the best food, so here's some cash. You're always welcomed to have any leftover food that I have. There will be some clothes and shoes brought to your room. Burt accepted the help Dominic provided in standing but pulled away as soon as he got to his feet. "Why are you doing all this son? Why are you being so nice to me? Helping me? Giving me a room and money? How do you know I won't bail or just buy drugs and booze?"

Dominic squared his shoulders, "I don't know what you'll do with the money. That's purely up to you. I got you the room because you need a bed to sleep in. One that you don't have to fight over at a shelter. You need a relaxing bath so that your muscles won't ache so much. You need good food to keep you at a healthy weight. I'm doing all this because if we don't take care of each other, then who else will?" Burt studied Dominic for a moment, "We? What branch are you in?" "Marine Corps." A comfortable silence enveloped the two men as Dominic helped Burt settle into his temporary home.

The doorman in Dominic's building grabbed attention before he ascended the staircase. "Mr. Pruitt, this package came for you about an hour ago. Dropped off by a very beautiful woman." "Thank you." Dominic took the package with care and walked up the stairs to his apartment. He finally settled in and got comfortable, grateful that Nova was with her nana and that he could just relax for the evening, running his hand over the package. The rectangular shape of the package and somewhat heavy weight peeked his interest. He toyed with the edges of the package before finally giving in and opening it.

Dominic smiled at the book, that looked like a homemade photo album, and traced his fingers along the glittery letters that spelled O-L-I-V-I-A M-A-R-G-R-E-T-T B-E-N-S-O-N. Dominic opened the photo album and smiled at a chubby baby Olivia. She had short brown tendrils shaping her face and pink pouty lips. She looked as if she was having a fight with the blanket she was wrapped in. Dominic laughed and turned the page. The next picture was a toddler Olivia. Her hair was longer and her face was rounder but those same bright brown eyes jumped out at him. In the picture, she was attempting to stand by holding on to a nearby table. Dominic was thoroughly enjoying the photo album but a knock at his door broke his concentration. He reluctantly got up and opened the door.

Dominic's jaw dropped as he stared at his unexpected visitor. He stared at Olivia's curvy form in the turquoise workout set. He slowly trailed his eyes up her long, lean body until he met her mischevious eyes, "You don't ask who's knocking at your door before you open it Dom?" Dominic leaned against the door jamb, "That's a mistake on my part Liv. How do you know where I live? "

"I've been a detective for a very long time. Before you ask, Noah is having some sort of guy bonding with Fin and from the eerily quiet apartment you have, I assume Nova's not here?" Dominic gave a wide smile, "How observant of you detective. She's with her grandmother for the night. I have the place to myself. How did you know that I was back home?" he asked with a raised brow.

Olivia feigned innocence, "I may have asked your doorman to call me when you got home for the night. Did you get my package?" Dominic pointed his thumb behind him. "Yeah I did and I must say you were the cutest baby with the chubbiest cheeks in the world." Olivia laughed, trying to cover her blush, but Dominic saw it anyways. She locked eyes with him and slid her body right past his, "What are we going to do with a free night from our children in your quiet apartment?"

Dominic playfully slapped her on the butt and closed his front door. "We're going to eat dinner and go through all these pictures of you then we will see where the rest of this night takes us.

 _ **A/N: Olivia and Dominic will be taking their relationship to the next level soon. Also, Nova's testimony against her mother and Dominic's career decision will appear within the next couple of chapters.**_


	10. Chapter 10

"What were you doing?" Dominic asked as he studied the sight before him. Olivia stretched her legs out over his lap and leaned forward. She let the tip of her fingernail rest on the edge of the photo. "I had just won my 2nd grade spelling bee and my mom promised me that we'd get ice cream." Olivia's face fell and she pulled back. "Of course, that wasn't the case and she never showed up but my aunt did. She was always there…mostly because my mom never was." Olivia paused for a moment and willed the tears away. Dominic lifted her chin up until they made eye contact, "Hey pretty girl. It was your mom's loss that she missed it…not yours." Olivia gave him a weak smile and reached over to turn the page. Her cheeks immediately flushed as she tried, unsuccessfully, to flip to the next one. Dominic stopped her and held the album out of reach. "Is this you dressed as a ladybug for Halloween?" Dominic asked in-between laughs. He wound up wrestling Olivia until she was under him on the couch. "It was my mom's idea and out of my control. Now let me up." Dominic relented and got off of Olivia. Olivia kept gliding through pictures until she stopped on one that nearly broke her heart.

Dominic pulled her closer and waited for her to say something. Olivia ran her fingers over the photo of herself and her aunt. She was dressed in a little yellow polka dot dress and struggling to keep her aunt's oversized red hat on her head. Her aunt was a leggy woman with a slender frame and a bright smile. Dominic noted the resemblance between Olivia and her aunt. _Man, she has some strong genes._ "What's wrong Liv?" Olivia shook her head, "Nothing. This was the summer that my mother told me the truth about my father. I had a blast in Normandy with my aunt, only to come home to my mother in the middle of a bender. Between the vodka bottles lining the table and the ones she kept opening, I found out that my mother was raped and I was the result. She told me that my father violently forced himself on her and that she decided to keep me rather than have an abortion or adoption. There were days that I wished she had because I may have had an easier life. I love my mother to death but just dropping a bombshell like that on a 9-year-old was just cruel. She didn't even try to help me understand any of it. She just said it and that was that." Dominic didn't want Olivia getting any more upset, so he kept turning the pages until he stopped at what looked like her prom picture.

Olivia's beauty was timeless to Dominic. She looked exactly the same from when she was a kid all the way through adulthood. "Were you homecoming queen?" Dominic teased. Olivia laughed and leaned against Dominic's shoulder. "Yes I was. My prom date was a baseball player from another high school. I didn't even know that my name was on the ballot." "Did you and your 'date' kept in contact?" Olivia rose on her knees and quickly straddled Dominic. She grinned down at him. "Is that jealousy in your voice? Come on Dom, it was a lifetime ago, over 20 years ago. We never dated, he was just my prom date. I think that he went to Rutgers or maybe somewhere in Jersey. I went to Siena, where I pledged and graduated with honors in 3 ½ years." Dominic rubbed his hands up and down her back and nibbled on her ear.

With a husky voice that made her shiver, "Not jealous just curious. So, you mentioned that you pledged a sorority? Learn any skills?" Olivia kissed Dominic soundly on the lips and trailed her kisses and bites down his chest. She let her free hand creep up his thigh and lightly brush his length. Dominic shuddered under her hands and kisses and pulled away from her. "Olivia as much as I want to do this-"

"Then do it. I want you too Dom. I really want you. Don't talk me out of this." Dominic gave in and carried her into the bedroom. He gently laid her down, but she just popped right back up and wrapped her body around his. Olivia unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper. She pushed the pants over his hips and reached for the hem of his shirt. Dominic recoiled and pushed Olivia off of him. She was confused and just sat motionless watching him distance himself from her. Dominic didn't say a word for about 5 minutes. He kept his back turned to Olivia and just hoped that she would go home. Olivia climbed off the bed, pulling her socks off before she stood up straight. She took her workout top and sports bra off. Next, she peeled the pants and underwear off before putting all of them in a pile near the bed. The chill in the room gave her goosebumps but she quickly started to heat up with every step she took towards Dominic. Eventually, she was right behind him and he could feel her presence.

"Olivia I-" "Shh. Baby look at me. Please look at me" Olivia pleaded in a soft whisper. Dominic slowly turned around and looked into her eyes. Olivia reached up to cradle his face in her hands, "Baby I have scars too. I don't care about the scars. I only care about the sweet man that is right in front of me. I have a lot of scars too." Olivia used a shaky hand to guide Dominic's hand to her body. She stopped his hand on her upper chest. "These cigarette burns were given to me by the man that kidnapped and tortured me." She trailed his hand down the inside of her arm, "He cut here with a knife all the way down this arm." She placed his hand on her stomach, "He gave me these burns with cigarettes and a hot hanger."

Dominic couldn't stop himself from getting choked up, "I'm so sorry it happened to you." She stroked his face, "It's okay Dom. I survived it. I'm sorry that you got hurt saving your men. My scars have faded over time…both physically and mentally. Baby, let me help you get past yours."

 _ **A/N: Chapter not finished, just wanted to give an update.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Dominic let his shoulders slump and his body relax as Olivia slowly pulled his shirt over his head. Olivia broke eye contact and leaned forward to press a kiss to the middle of Dominic's chest. He immediately took in a sharp breath. Olivia kissed him there again and let her hand follow the same trail. Olivia turned Dominic slowly and took a quick glance over the back of his body. He wasn't kidding when he told her that he had second and third degree burns over his back and legs. Olivia looked at the healed/slightly red skin and only saw a strong survivor that she was in love with. Olivia leaned forward and kissed the healed skin. Olivia's mouth felt like a trailblaze on his skin, but he actually found himself relaxing at the sensation.

Dominic was surprised that she didn't take pity on him or his scars. He was eternally grateful to have a woman that made him feel confident after all the skin grafts and surgeries. Olivia kissed every inch of his scarred back and moved down to the back of his leg. She evened out the rest and kissed every inch of the back of his body. She slowly rose to her feet and then to her tiptoes to kiss up to the crown of his head. Olivia turned Dominic to face her and kiss him sweetly on the lips. Dominic's hesitation subsided as he surged forward to capture her lips. Olivia's mouth quivered under Dominic's dominant hold, but she let him take her to new heights. Dominic grabbed Olivia's thighs and lifted her up. She immediately wrapped her long legs around his waist and pulled him closer as he started biting at her neck. "Mhm Dom. That feels so good baby. Bite it harder." Dominic obliged and it down on Olivia's neck harder and soothed the slight sting with his tongue. Dominic walked them backwards until they were at his bed and placed her in the middle of it. Brown eyes met blue and Olivia blushed when Dominic intensely looked her up and down from head to toe. He took his sweet time raking his eyes over her entire body. Dominic leaned down and trailed his hands up her legs until he reached the top of her head. Olivia pulled his body down on top of hers and peppered kisses across his chest; Olivia's movement were stalled when Dominic locked her hands above her head. He lowered his mouth to her right nipple, that tightened, and sucked at the swollen nub furiously. Olivia's mewling spurred him on and Dominic kept stimulating her rosy nipples with his fingers while his mouth traveled further down her body until he found the juncture of her thighs. Olivia's body jerked when she felt Dominic nip and suck at her clit.

Dominic let go of Oliva's nipples and wrapped his large hands around her thighs and spread her open wider. Olivia unknowingly arched her back deeper and buried her body into the mattress after Dominic added his fingers to the party. His large fingers stretched her tight core and curled inside of her body. If Olivia was still insecure about sex after William Lewis, it all went out the window the moment Dominic touched her body. Dominic lapped up Olivia's sweet and tangy nectar as it poured from her greedy body. Olivia's body bucked under Dominic's talented mouth and hands as her orgasm came rushing forward. Dominic gently kissed and caressed Olivia's swollen core as she came down from her high. Olivia excitedly grabbed at his face, eager to kiss him, and surprisingly relished in tasting her own flavor on his lips. She pushed her tongue deeper into his mouth and pulled his body right on top of hers. The pair broke the kiss out of desperation for air; Olivia scraped her nails down his chest and gripped his hips before using all her strength to flip him over onto his back. Olivia slinked down his body but Dominic halted her moments "Dom baby—"

He shushed her with a kiss to her hand, "I can't handle that right now. I need to be inside of you. I need you Liv." Olivia obliged him and laid down on the bed. She bit her lip while Dominic stretched his body out over hers. Olivia looked down in-between them and her mouth watered when she saw just how well-endowed Dominic was. He was above average, which made her worry about possible pain, but that thought went away when he rubbed his tip against her opening. Olivia let out a deep moan and tensed when he started to push inside of her. Tears sprung into her eyes, but she forced her body to relax and take all the man that Dominic was. Olivia was tight, slick, and so wet that Dominic felt his head spinning. He opened his eyes and looked down to find Olivia staring intensely at him with raw emotion and love. Dominic lent his head down until their foreheads touched. They maintained eye contact as Dominic's strokes varied in pressure and speed. Olivia whimpered, moaned, and even screamed but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Dominic was getting to the brink, yet he wanted Olivia to have hers first. He reached between their bodies and rubbed her clit as she tweaked her own nipples. Olivia's second orgasm of the night ripped through her body and set off Dominic's while her core continued to milk him.

Dominic let out a shy smile and pulled out of Olivia; she whimpered at the loss of him but cuddled into his side. They laid together in silence for a few moments before Olivia turned over and rested on her elbow. She traced her nail from his belly button up to his mouth. She waited for Dominic to turn and look at her before saying, "Next time, I'm in control." Dominic chuckled and smirked at Olivia before touching the tip of her nose. "Yes ma'am". Olivia kissed his finger then his knuckles. "Dom, you know I don't care about the scars." Dominic touched his nose to hers and whispered, "For the first time, I don't care about them either." Olivia smiled and nuzzled against him as they both drifted off to sleep.

Dominic woke up before Olivia did and he just watched her. She was truly beautiful and in the early morning light, she looked like an angel to him. Dominic got up, without disturbing Olivia too much, and took a quick shower. He shaved his face in the shower and brushed his teeth within moments of getting out of the shower. He went into the storage cabinet that was behind his bathroom door and got out a bathroom kit that Spanky sometimes used when she slept over. He left it with some towels and a toothbrush on the bathroom counter and went into the kitchen. He started his espresso machine and pulled the ingredients for a nice breakfast out of his refrigerator. Olivia woke up looking for Dominic but found the bed empty. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She saw all the feminine things that she needed to feel clean and awake waiting for her on the counter. She smiled to herself and started the shower.

Dominic had just finished making them a breakfast of blueberry waffles, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and fruit when he heard knocking on the door. He was walking towards it when the lock turned and the door was pushed open. Dominic stood there with a smile on his face; Nova saw him and walked over. He picked her up, knowing that she was still sleepy, and she immediately laid her head on his shoulder. Dominic looked at Jessie's mom, Josephine, "So you couldn't wait until I opened the door?" She looked around the room, "I figured you were still asleep. I've got an early appointment today and I know you keep up a rigorous schedule and I didn't want to interrupt that. Am I interrupting something?" she asked with a coy smile and nodded in the direction of the elaborate breakfast spread. Olivia chose that moment to come out of the bedroom, thankfully in some of Dominic's clothes, and stopped abruptly when she saw that Dominic had guests. She waved awkwardly, "Hi I'm Olivia." "Hello Olivia. I'm Josephine, Nova's grandmother and I've heard a lot about you." Nova popped her head up and sleepily looked in Olivia's direction. "Hi Miss Olivia what are you doing here?" Nova murmured from her spot on Dominic's shoulder. Olivia blushed, "I just…thought I could have breakfast with you and your dad." Josephine gave a wicked grin before she blew them goodbye kisses and went on her way.


	12. Chapter 12

Dominic sat Nova down at the table and plated her some breakfast. Olivia crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Dominic's waist. She leaned her head forward and pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Thank you for making breakfast. That was really sweet of you." Dominic turned around and kissed Olivia soundly on the lips. "You know that I'm sweet on you. Besides, I really didn't know what to make." "Lucky for you, I like all breakfast food. You definitely lucked out in that department." Dominic pulled away and gave her a once-over look. He noted how her long shapely legs disappeared underneath the hem of his Marine Corps shirt. His boxer-briefs fit her like a second skin. Her large breasts strained the shirt in a way it wasn't used to, yet it looked so enticing on Olivia. His eyes kept going up until he saw the cocky smirk on her face. "Helped yourself to my clothes." "Yes I did because I couldn't find the clothes that I wore here." Dominic kissed her again, "I put them in the washer with mine to fill up the load of clothes I had. I hope it wasn't an issue." Olivia nipped at his mouth, "No, it's perfectly fine. Guess it's time to eat this lovely breakfast you made." The two adults forgot about Nova being in the same room with them until she spoke up. "The eggs are really good Ms. Olivia." Olivia gave a shy smile to Dominic and sat down. The previous night's activities left her famished and she was eager to dig into breakfast. The girls barely left anything for Dominic and he made a mental note that Olivia had quite the appetite just like Nova. When breakfast was done, Nova dragged Olivia into her room while Dominic cleaned up the kitchen.

Nova was dressing up one of her dolls when she looked up at Olivia. "Miss Olivia can I ask you a question?" "Of course, you can sweetheart. What's up?" Nova looked up at Olivia with bright and curious eyes, "Are you my new mommy?" Olivia froze for a moment, unsure of what to say, before she handed Nova the next doll. "Do you want me to be?" Nova shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I have a mommy that wasn't that nice to me. But you're really nice to me. I think I want a nice mommy just like Noah. Do you want to be my new mommy?" Olivia tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "When I was a little girl, I wanted a nice mommy too. I loved my mommy with everything in me and I think that she loved me too. My aunt was like my mommy. She taught me a lot of stuff. Nova, I would love to be your mom, but I don't want you to forget that you have another one. I think that just like my mom, your mom loves you and she doesn't know how to show it. I've always wanted to have a little girl but I was always so scared."

Nova crawled over to Olivia, "Why were you scared?" Olivia blinked back tears, "Because I never wanted to hurt my little girl and I thought that I would." Nova grabbed Olivia's face, "I think you're a great mommy. I would love for you to be my mommy." Olivia rubbed her nose against Nova's, "I would love to be your mommy too." Dominic was in the doorway watching the two of them and his heart felt full. Dominic was thanking his lucky stars that they connected again. Olivia felt eyes on her and turned to give Dominic a wide grin. Her outfit was now clean, so Dominic handed it to her, "I figured that we'd go pick up Noah and come back here for a lazy day in. The two of you are more than welcome to spend the night with us." Nova's excited shrieks were slightly deafening, "A sleepover with Noah and Miss Olivia! This is the greatest day ever!" Olivia placed a hand on Dominic's chest, "Guess we have our answer. Let me go get changed so that we can head to my place." Dominic kissed her and let her push past him.

"Daddy, do you love Miss Olivia?" Nova asked when she walked over to her father. He kneeled down and kissed her cheek, "Yeah monkey, Daddy loves Miss Olivia. Is that okay with you?" "Oh yeah!" Nova responded bouncing up and down. Olivia returned and the trio left Dominic's place and went in the direction of Olivia's home.

Lucy looked up when Olivia entered the apartment. Her smile grew wider when she saw Nova and Dominic enter behind her. Olivia motioned towards her two guests, "Lucy this is Dominic and Nova. Dom and Nova this is Lucy, Noah's babysitter. Lucy, thanks again for dropping in to pick him up from Fin…um where is he?" "Using the restroom. He should be back out here soon."

Noah came out of the bathroom and looked up before running right to Nova. Olivia looked slightly taken back and Dominic just shrugged his shoulders. "Ahem—Noah, Mom's here too." Noah let go of Nova and gave Dominic a big hug before finally circling back around to hug Olivia. Dominic playfully swatted her shoulder and she pouted, "I feel like chopped liver." Dominic kissed away the pout, "You're not chopped liver", he leaned in close to whisper in her ear, "you're my whole platter." Olivia's cheeks reddened and she tried to hide her shy smile. Lucy looked on with a mix of contentment and humor. Olivia finally turned and walked towards Lucy. She paid her and thanked her for picking him up from Fin. "You can have the next couple of days off. The four of us will be spending some time together." Lucy nodded, not bothering to hide her smirk, and left the apartment. Olivia went into Noah's room to pack a bag before walking into her own bedroom. She expected Dominic to be sitting on her bed waiting, but he was instead packing her bag. "I'm supposed to be packing my own bag." Dominic smiled at her and continued packing. When he went into her bathroom, she went to ensure that she'd packed all of Noah's favorite toys. She saw Nova and Noah on the couch watching a cartoon. She loved to see how protective Noah was of her. "Guys, we're about to leave. Are you ready?" They both responded yes in unison but Noah stopped Nova from standing up while he tied her shoe. He looked at Olivia and Dominic, "What?" Both adults gave nothing away but they loved how close their children were becoming.


	13. Chapter 13

Olivia could feel that Dominic had something up his sleeve, but she just couldn't put her finger on it yet. He had been relatively quiet on the journey back to his place. When they turned a corner, Dominic spotted a slew of little shops set up along the street. Noah and Nova were holding hands when they spotted two large dogs. They ran over, with their parents close behind them, and petted the dogs. Olivia kneeled behind them and smiled up to the owner. Olivia noted that she was young-looking but not too young. To Olivia, she looked like she was at least in her thirties. Her naturally olive-complexion made her look exotic and her bright brown eyes could draw a person in. The woman held a friendly conversation with the kids while Olivia looked over her shoulder looking around for Dominic. Dominic had stepped away from them to take a phone call. His body language was all over the place and she couldn't read his lips clearly. He abruptly ended the call and took long strides over to them. Olivia saw the fire in his eyes and realized that they were focused on the friendly dog-owner. She jumped in-between them before he got to her and held his face in her hands. "Dom. Dom look at me."

Olivia waited for his blue eyes to focus on hers. She took a cursory look at the kids and then back to him. "I don't know what happened on that call, but she didn't do anything to us. The kids are just playing with her dogs." Dominic shook his head from side-to-side, "That's her mother. That's Angela. That woman hurt my baby. She-" Olivia was desperately trying to calm him down. She pushed her body closer to his until there was no space between them. "Dom, baby who was on the phone?" "It—it was the DA. He told me that she may be released until trial because of a technicality. That would mean that she'd be walking around for the next month….free. They have to have a hearing." "Dominic. When is the hearing?" "It's tomorrow." Olivia let out a relieved breath, "Dom, there is no way that in the 5-10 minutes since you had that call was Angela released and found her way to us right here, right now. Dom, sweetie we don't know that woman, but she isn't Angela. Look at her and tell me that. Is that Angela?"

Dominic looked away from her and studied the woman, "Oh my God Liv. I'm so sorry. It's not her. I nearly lost it on a woman that I don't know. Liv I—" "It's okay. But now I know that we really need to talk about this. This is not a conversation that I will let you avoid for any longer. No more secrets. Let me in Dom." Olivia pleaded with him and once again he fell victim to those chocolate brown eyes. "Okay Liv, we'll talk about it. No more secrets. Let's get the kids and go back to my place." Olivia nodded and gathered the kids as they said goodbye to the dogs. They all held hands once more and walked slowly near the tables that were selling various things. "Mommy, can we get a dog?" Noah asked looking at Olivia. Olivia looked to Dominic for a bailout and he thankfully supplied one, "Noah buddy your mom works a lot. A dog is hard work and they need boatloads of attention. Are you ready to handle that much responsibility and for you mom to have more chores to keep up with?" Noah hung his head a little. "Dom don't guilt him!" Olivia scolded when she nudged him in the ribs.

Dominic knelt down and turned Noah around to face him, "Buddy how are you and Nova supposed to take care of a dog if you live in separate places?" Nova looked up at the two adults, "So can we all live together?" Dominic didn't want to turn around because he could feel Olivia's eyes on him. He sheepishly looked at her when she grumbled out, "Nice one Dom." Olivia focused on the kids and said, "Right now, we want to give the two of you all our love and attention. We want all of us to get closer and be a family. When that happens, then we should all be living together and we will revisit the possibility of getting a dog." Olivia chuckled to herself and continued walking. Dominic leaned over to whisper, "Nice save Liv." She looked at him and rolled her eyes, "Only after you dug us a grave that we barely got out of." They all arrived back at Dominic's home and Nova showed Noah around the apartment. Olivia went into the kitchen and starts unloading the groceries they had just bought. Dominic watched as she quickly became familiar with his kitchen. She moved around with the grace of a gazelle but also with purpose.

Olivia felt eyes on her and smirked to herself; she turned around to lean back on the counter, "What do you want for dinner?" Dominic shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea." Olivia had an idea pop into her head as she rested further back on her forearms and elbows. "Noah and I have certain nights where we eat certain things" she paused and slowly walked over to him. She put her arms on his shoulders and continued speaking, "I was thinking that if we're really doing this whole thing… relationship, family, 2.5 kids, the whole shebang then we should create our own traditions don't you think?" Dominic smiled, "2.5 kids?" Olivia pulled away just a bit, "Dom, you were the one that opened the door for a dog. So yes, 2.5 kids." Dominic kissed her neck and pulled her closer to him. Olivia felt his hands slid down her body until they rested on her butt with a light squeeze.

Olivia called out, "Nova. Noah. Come here please." The two children came racing into the kitchen and barely skidded to a stop when their socks gave them an extra boost across the hardwood flooring. "We have a little problem that we could use some serious help on. Since the four of us will be spending a lot of time together, I think that we should start making our own memories which include dinner plans. What will we have for dinner this Thursday night?" Noah and Nova looked at each other before blurting out, "Tacos!" Olivia looked at Dominic with a cocky grin, "There you have it. We will have tacos on Thursdays." The kids took off and Olivia went to the refrigerator, "I was thinking that we could have different meats so that everyone is satisfied. We could have shrimp, chicken, turkey, and maybe even—"

Olivia stopped talking when she realized that Dominic wasn't paying attention. He was absentmindedly chopping vegetables and Olivia snatched the knife out of his hand before he cut off a finger. "Liv what—" "You're staring off into space with a knife in your hand. Is this about our earlier conversation?" "What if she gets out Liv? I don't want her breathing the same air as my daughter." "Even if she gets out, it will only be until her trial. I personally think that this is one of many hail Mary tactics that her lawyer will make. There is probably tons of evidence to keep her locked up from now until her sentencing." "Do you really think that she'll be found guilty?" Olivia started cooking again as Dominic came up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I think that everything that she was doing came full-circle and caught up with her. I also have a good feeling that the DA is going to nail her ass to the wall. You, nor will I, let her or anyone else hurt Nova. I think that this tactic was used to get in your head and luckily for you…you have me. Nova still has to testify, right now she needs her father. She doesn't need the take no prisoners Marine. She needs the man who checks her closet for monsters, picks out all the red and white jellybeans because she hates them, and the man who makes everyday of her life magical."

Dominic held her tighter while the aromas of dinner assaulted his senses and made his mouth water. "You know Nova needs a mom too." Olivia leaned her head to the left to give Dominic better access to her neck. "Well according to you, she already has one." "She does. A beautiful caring one who can hold her own in the kitchen." The couple shared a laugh and Dominic reached for the same knife that he was previously using. Olivia snuck a suspicious glance at Dominic. He didn't even turn around, "I'm okay Liv and we will have that conversation after the little ones go to sleep. Right now, I'm just ready for dinner and then dessert." Olivia pointed to the cabinet and Dominic started pulling down plates and cups. He set the table and started to put the already-done dishes on the table. Olivia started to bring over the meats and Dominic grabbed the softshell tortillas, that were warming up, out of the oven. They seemed to make a pretty good team in the kitchen. The small group of four enjoyed their dinner filled with laughs. Olivia was envious of not experiencing this kind of happiness and love her entire life. Dominic made up ice cream sundaes for dessert and continued to throw Olivia flirty glances.

After a few more hours, both children started to get sleepy. Olivia was happy that Nova had a bunkbed in her room. Dominic started to clean up the remnants of dinner as Olivia tucked the kids in. By the time she got them in the room, they were wide awake. She knew that actually tucking them in was futile, so she sat on the floor and let the both of them climb into her lap. Nova looked up at her, with those big beautiful eyes, and asked, "Can you tell us a bedtime story mommy?" Olivia nearly choked on a small sob when she looked at the two children in her lap. "Mommy?" she asked just above a whisper. Nova just shook her head and settled once again. Noah tucked his body in further and looked up at his mother, "Yeah mommy, are you going to tell us a story?" Olivia cleared her throat before speaking, "Yes my loves. I'll tell you a story. This story is pretty special. This story is about how our family came to be." Olivia finished her story and carefully put them both into bed. She kissed Noah's forehead, "Good night my sweet boy." She bent down to kiss Nova's forehead, "Sweet dreams my little angel." Olivia was almost out the room; she turned the light out and said, "I love you both" just before she closed the door. Dominic had finished with the kitchen and relaxed on the couch to watch the news. Olivia didn't speak…she just straddled his lap and kissed him with every bit of passion she had. She pulled away and Dominic caught a stray tear before it made its way down her cheek. "What's with the watery eyes? You know how much I love seeing that pretty smile of yours?" "Thank you Dominic. Thank you so much." Dominic leaned forward but kept Olivia close. "For what sweetheart?" Olivia tearfully replied, "You gave me a complete family. You gave my son a father. You—you gave me a daughter."


	14. Chapter 14

Dominic and Olivia's steady breathing synchronized somewhere in the night after they exhausted one another. They were a little mix of lightly tanned skin with the softest hair imaginable. She was protectively wrapped in his embrace. Olivia's placement in front of Dominic could be seen as her protecting his heart in more ways than one. They were skin-to-skin with no space separating them in the middle of his vast bed. Their spell was momentarily broken when Dominic felt something change. He didn't know what woke him up, but he was alert and assessing his immediate surroundings. He smelled Olivia's berry-scented hair, the vanilla kisses that her lotion left behind, and the co-mingled sweat from the both of them. He lifted his head, careful not to wake her, and looked around the room. Nothing seemed different, other than the bedroom door being open, from the way they left it last night. Dominic stayed completely still and listened for outside noises. He smiled to himself when he heard Noah and Nova whispering in the kitchen. He heard the soft tings of silverware on bowls/plates. He nudged Olivia's shoulder. She grumbled, "No more. Sleep." He laughed in her ear before kissing behind it, causing her to let out a soft moan. "As much as I would love to take you again, I woke you up to tell you to put on a shirt." Olivia whined and looked at him over her shoulder, "Why? Don't you like seeing me lie this?" she asked with a pout.

Dominic kissed her pouted lips and tugged her bottom lip between his teeth. His husky voice gave her goosebumps, "I love seeing you like this, but I believe that our minis are trying to surprise us with breakfast in bed." Olivia's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly pulled his shirt on. They both pretended to be sleeping when they heard the pitter-patter of little feet. There was a tray set down on the nightstand. Both children climbed onto the bed and laid down on their parents. They nudged them until they opened their eyes. Olivia smiled wide and looked up at the kids sitting on their laps. "Good morning you two. What are you doing up so early?" Nova played with Olivia's hair, "We made you breakfast" she said pointing happily at the four bowls of cereal. Olivia sat up, grateful that Dominic told her to put on his shirt and passed a bowl to everyone of the bed. Olivia and Dominic looked down at their bowls of Fruit Loops and laughed. They were grateful that the kids hadn't tried to actually cook anything and opted for cereal. They ate their cereal in silence and Olivia helped them clean up. Olivia felt extremely comfortable with where her life was now and she didn't think that anything could change this feeling she had.

Olivia was nearly done showering when she heard her phone ringing. She closed her eyes, letting the hot water wash the soap from her body, when there was a knock on the shower door. "Mommy, you're phone's ringing." Olivia wiped the water away from her eyes and opened the door to look at Nova. "Can you answer it for me baby?" Nova answered the phone and put it up to her ear. "Mommy's phone. Who's calling?" Nova pulled the phone away and opened the shower door again, "Mommy it's a Finn Tuto-tutu-" "Tutuola.", Olivia supplied with a laugh before saying, "Babygirl I need you to press that button right there and put the phone on the stack of towels for me." Nova complied while Olivia addresses Fin, "Fin, what's up?" The older man laughed, "I thought I was the only one to call you Babygirl?" "I wasn't calling you Babygirl, I was talking to…" "Your own baby girl." Olivia rolled her eyes, "Is there a case or something Fin? If there is then watch what you say…there are virgin ears that can hear us." "Yeah, yeah we have a case. Missing tender-age boy and his teenage brother is deceased. He was sexually assaulted; witnesses say the same thing could be happening to his younger brother." "Last known address?" Olivia asked as she dried her body off and started to put on lotion. "SoHo." "Send Dickie and Carisi to the last known address and call everybody else in. It's all hands on deck until we find this little boy."

Olivia rushed through the rest of her preparations for work. She came out the bedroom so fast that she ran head-on into Dominic. Olivia held her forehead with one hand and the door jamb with the other; Dominic was fine and hadn't moved an inch, "Hey baby, where you rushing off to?" "Work. Got called in on a missing tender age. I have to go." He leaned in for a quick kiss, "Okay. We'll be fine, you just be safe." Olivia crouched down next to the couch and kissed Noah and Nova on the head, "Mommy's got to go to work. Be good for daddy and I'll be back as quick as I can. I love you." Olivia waved at Dominic as she left his place, taking the stairs two at a time.

Olivia sat crouched down against one of the walls in her office staring at her hands. She hadn't washed them yet, so they still had a dead little boy's blood on them. By the time the squad had found a location, their missing tender-age had already been dead for a few hours. Their perp had no remorse and was currently giving names and details of past victims to Fin and Jeffries. The horror of this case was weighing on her, especially because she couldn't stop her mind from playing tricks on her. When she was at Autopsy, she kept looking at the table and seeing both of her children. Those thoughts made her eyes well up with tears that she refused to let fall. Olivia took a deep breath and forced herself to stand. She walked over to her desk determined to bury herself in paperwork, when there was a knock at her door. She told the other person to come in, but she didn't turn around. His cologne wafted its way through her nose and calmed her down. Olivia turned around with a small smile to greet Dominic, but his hesitation and avoidance of eye contact made her stop short. "Dom, what's wrong?" "Can we sit?" he asked.

Olivia folded her arms across her chest, one of her many defense mechanisms, and retorted, "No, I'd rather stand but you can sit." Dominic sat on the couch and looked Olivia up and down. Her boots had dirt covering the front, her pants had a few mud streaks, the bottom of her shirt had dried blood on it, and her hands had dried and caked up blood on them. "Olivia, what happened with the case?" Her lip trembled, "We didn't get to him in time. The SOB is in interrogation giving full disclosure of all his crimes in exchange for a deal." "Why in the hell would your DA give him a deal?" "Dom, we originally thought that this was his only crime. We were wrong, the bastard's been doing this for a decade. He kept crossing state lines, and no one shares information, thus we couldn't stop him years ago. He's still getting life…just with the possibility of paroled in 30 years. Guess that's better than nothing huh? Anyways, that's not why you're here, so what's up?" Dominic flexed his hands a few times before letting out a big gush of air, "Liv, I have to go back." "Go back to where?" "Active duty."

Olivia felt her heart thump wildly in her chest, "When do you leave? For how long?" "All hell broke loose in the Middle East. It's all hands on deck. They are pulling almost everyone out of the Reserves. I leave tomorrow. I don't know how long I'll be gone." Olivia felt her body shake and she started to pace. "This doesn't make sense. You aren't supposed to leave for another two months. You weren't—The Middle East? Is that where you're going?" "Liv, I can't give you specifics. I wish I didn't have to leave like this but it's my job." Olivia let her tears fall, "But what about Nova? She testifies next month." Dominic's breath picked up, "I wish…I wish". Olivia rushed over and kneeled in front of him. "It's okay baby. I'll figure it out. You're right, you have to go. It's your job and your men need you. I'll take care of everything with the kids. We'll get through this and you'll come back safe and we'll-we'll be fine. We will make it through this." Olivia held his face in her hands, "I love you Dom. The four of us will be okay." Dominic stood up and pulled her close. "I'll let you get back to work."

"We got it. Take your girl home." They both turned around at Jeffries' voice. She just shrugged at them, "Your door wasn't closed all the way and I was coming to tell you that we're splitting up to inform the different jurisdictions about the body dumps. Take care of yourself over there Dominic. I'll take care of your trio. As for now, take her home so that the both of you can break the news to your kids and spend as much time together as possible before you leave. I'll handle the paperwork Liv." Olivia let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks Moe."

Olivia and Dominic left the squad and headed back to his place. Spanky and Nova's grandmother had an apologetic look in their eyes that let Olivia know that Dominic had already told them. They hugged her tight and the three of them let silent tears fall while Dominic hugged the kids. The older women went to pull away but Olivia stopped them, "Can you guys stay? I think that we all need to spend this time together. Wait, Spanky do you need to go?" The short woman rubbed her thumb against the apple of Olivia's cheek, "No sweetheart, the kids are in great hands. You're right, we all need to spend this time together." Dominic and Olivia spent hours trying to calm their children down. Nova was crying her eyes out, "Daddy I don't want you to go. Please don't leave." Dominic's tears matched his daughter's, "Baby I am so sorry. Daddy just really needs to help other soldiers." "I don't want to see my old mommy by myself" Nova sobbed into his chest. Olivia struggled to turn the little girl around, "Nova baby you will never be by yourself. You have me, you will always have me. I'm going to be right there with you every step of the way. I'm not leaving Babygirl." Nova let Olivia pick her up and buried her head in her neck, "You know that we can still talk to daddy right?" Noah, who was quiet for the most part, spoke up, "Even if daddy's gone?" Olivia nodded her head, "Yeah. We can write daddy letters and send him pictures. When he gets settled, we can maybe video chat him." Their kids seemed to accept this and the rest of the night and following morning were spent with their family never leaving each other's sides.

The drive to the Brooklyn airfield started up another wave of emotions for Olivia. Her and Dominic didn't sleep because they were watching the kids and each other all through the night. They walked all the way with Dominic until they got to the point where they'd be restricted. Dominic saw some of the men he knew saying their goodbyes to their families. Noah and Nova had already started crying, so Dominic got on his knees in front of them. Noah reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an action figure, "This is for you Daddy. It's G.I. Joe. He's lucky and if you keep him with you, then he'll bring you luck." Dominic kissed Noah's forehead. "Thank you bud. I'll keep him close." Dominic put his finger under Nova's chin, "Hey pumpkin. No goodbye for daddy?" Nova hugged his neck tightly and pulled back to give him a bracelet, "It's my lucky marble from the beach I went to with Nana. Nana helped me make it into a bracelet for you. I love you daddy." "I love you too angel, forever and always." Olivia helped Dominic stand and pulled him into a strong hug. A couple of her tears dotted his shoulder and he held her tighter. Dominic broke their embrace and wiped away her tears. Olivia took off her Fearlessness necklace and put it on him, underneath his dog tags. "I know that it seems like a chick thing, but this necklace has saved my life and sanity more than once. You need it now a lot more than I do. Be careful over there Dom." "You be careful over here Liv. I love you so much." "I love you too…more than you'll ever know." Olivia walked hand-in-hand with Noah and Nova until she got to the two older women waiting for them. They both picked up a child and rocked them gently in their arms. Olivia looked up and saw Jeffries and Rollins come around the corner. The shorter blonde woman asked, "Are we late?" Olivia felt the sobs take over her body before they both hugged her, "He's gone. He's really gone." Jeffries rubbed her hands on her back, "He's going to be okay. We're going to make sure that the three of you are good while he's gone. Come on, I know what'll cheer you guys up."

 **A/N: Nova's testimony is up next. Will try to update faster.**


	15. Chapter 15

Olivia paced the small pace for almost an hour before Jeffries stopped her. "You gotta stop pacing. You're making me dizzy and you might break a heel with how hard you're walking." Olivia forced herself to sit down next to Jeffries and take a deep breath. "Nova has to testify in a half hour against a woman that caused her so much pain, physically and emotionally." "You mean that she's testifying against her mother?" Olivia glared at Jeffries and she changed her statement, "Sorry. I know you're her mother, but she did birth Nova and that's who she is about to see in that courtroom." Olivia sat in silence and couldn't help her mind drifting to Dominic. She missed him holding her, making love to her, and most of all…she missed watching him with the kids. Olivia hoped and prayed (for the first time in her life) that he was safe and okay. The last time that they talked, he'd told her that he wouldn't be able to talk or write until things calmed down. It broke her heart not knowing if he was okay, but she forced herself to keep on a brave face for the kids. Olivia kept telling herself that he was fine and that they'd all be fine. When the elevator doors opened, Nova came out hand-in-hand with a woman from DCFS. Olivia's head was bowed so, she didn't see Nova walk over until she stood between her knees.

She suddenly looked up with those big, beautiful eyes, "Is my old mommy going to see me?" Olivia didn't want to say yes; thankfully Barba grabbed her attention and pulled her away from Nova momentarily, "I'll be right back sweetheart" she said before she kissed the top of Nova's head and walked towards Barba. "What's up Rafael?" Barba looked at Nova, then back to Olivia. "I've got something to help you breathe. The judge has agreed to take Nova's testimony in chambers. You can't be inside but it's better than open court." Olivia let out a long breath and almost jumped for joy. She pulled Barba into a hug so tight that he struggled to breathe a little. When she let him go, she laughed sheepishly at him as he adjusted his tie to breathe. Olivia felt slightly better knowing that Nova wouldn't have to look her biological mother directly in the eyes. During Nova's testimony, Olivia started pacing again and members of her squad were entertaining themselves to her erratic behavior. Olivia tuned out the majority of their whispering, but she still managed to hear Rollins say, "She's more nervous than a whore in church." No one could hold in their laughter, even in a courthouse, and they were basically shooed outside by snickering security guards. When the doors to judge's chambers opened, Olivia's heart broke when she saw the tear tracks on Nova's face. Olivia dropped to her knees, opening her arms wide to catch her little girl. Olivia looked up to Barba, who looked guilty and apologetic, and mouthed, 'It's okay. we'll be okay.' She carried Nova to the bench and rocked her gently to soothe her cries. Nova's tears saturated her neck, but the only concern she had was her daughter feeling better.

Nova held onto Olivia as tight as she could. After a while, her cries were reduced to sniffles. Olivia took a travel-size pack of tissues out her pocket and cleaned Nova's face. She ran her thumbs against the apples of Nova's cheeks, "There's my pretty girl with those eyes that I love so much." Nova's lip quivered and she leaned forward to rest her forehead on Olivia's, "It was scary mommy. I kept thinking that my old mommy would come in the room. I told the old man in the bathrobe everything. Mommy, can we go home? I wanna snuggle with Noah and Penny?" Olivia found solace in her innocence along with liking the name she gave her stuffed pumpkin. For a brief moment, Olivia expected her to ask about Dominic; she was grateful that it hadn't came up. Anyone mentioning Dominic's name out loud would start the waterworks. Olivia smoothed her wavy hair down and rubbed their noses together. "Of course my angel. I'm going to make sure that they don't need us for anything else before we go, okay?" Nova nodded her head; upon hearing Olivia's last statement, Barba walked over to them, "We're good here Liv. You'll be the first call I make with any news." He looked down to Nova, who was now perched on Olivia's hip and said, "You were really great in there. You were so brave and such a big girl." Nova gave him an unexpected hug, causing the ADA to freeze in place, and laid her head in the crook of Olivia's neck. Olivia carried Nova on her hip to the lower level in hopes of successfully slipping out a side door without being noticed. That all went out the window when they got to the lobby and Nova saw nearly the whole squad. Olivia put her down and she ran over to Rollins (her favorite at the moment) while Olivia playfully scolded them, "If my entire squad is here, then who is working cases?" Finn chuckled loudly, "We got a few rookies to hold down the fort." Olivia laughed and hugged Jeffries tight, "Have I told you how much I love you Moe?" "Not today, you've been to busy working on your moonwalk." For the first time that day, Olivia let out a genuine laugh and they all went out a side door to their vehicles.

Olivia and Nova got home to a surprise waiting for them. Noah and Lucy made a fort out of nearly every pillow in the house. Noah also laid out all of Nova's favorite toys inside the huge fort. There was a giant bowl of fruit (one of Nova's favorites) complete with every fruit she liked while excluding those that she didn't (kiwi and blackberries) waiting on the coffee table. Olivia was speechless and Nova was ecstatic. She hugged Noah tight and they both went into the fort and started watching The Incredibles on DVD. Olivia pulled Lucy aside in the kitchen unable to actually form words. Lucy spoke up, "Fin called and told us that you guys were on your way home. Noah and I—mostly me—made the fort earlier today when we got back from the park. He suggested that I make some of her favorite foods. I didn't think that you would want the kids to have sweet breakfast foods for dinner, so I thought about trying my hand at making chili, but I have no idea where to start." Olivia chuckled, "Thank you for not making breakfast for dinner. I do know how to make chili and luckily…I know how to make it the way her dad does. Thank you Lucy, seriously for everything. This has been a hard day and I am so grateful for you today. I'm grateful for everyone today." Lucy shrugged off Olivia's extra praise, as usual, and gathered her things to go home for the night. Lucy said her goodbyes to the two children that just waved absently at her before she turned back to Olivia, "She's going to be fine. They both have some strong parents."

Olivia was nearly done with the chili when she heard a faint ringing in her bedroom. She quickly reached into her nightstand and grabbed her tablet. Skype was the ringing that she heard. Olivia sat at her vanity table and answered the call. She was surprised and relieved to see Dominic's face. She had to work hard to control her expression and keep it neutralized. Dominic had injuries of some sort and Olivia could see the bruises and cuts that went up his neck and even on some parts of his face. His eyes were wild and he struggled to focus them on her. "Hey baby. How are you guys doing?" Olivia took in a deep breath, "We're okay. How are you?" "I'm here. We tend to rough house a bit too much" he joked. Olivia looked away for a moment to gather herself. She felt like she'd been punched in the heart at the forced laugh he had to bark out. The sadness was getting harder to bury but she muddled through anyways and looked back at him with the brightest smile that she could muster. Dominic was grateful because her smile was the one thing that he needed to see. He knew that she knew he was hurt, yet she refused to acknowledge it. "What are you guys doing tonight?" "Nova testified today, fortunately in chambers and not in open court. Barba said that she was so brave. Noah talked Lucy into making them a fort and I'm making your chili." "How do you know what's in my chili?" "I have a nose and a mouth…besides I cook a lot." Dominic chuckled, "Noah and Nova?" The question hung in the air for a moment, "They're perfect. We have perfect children." Her voice cracked and he knew that he would have to be the stronger one. There was what sounded like a heart machine that started loudly going off. Olivia's eyes started to fill and Dominic struggled to clear his throat, "Baby, I've got to go. You need to make sure you don't screw up my chili and we need to get back to rough housing." As Olivia was disconnecting the call, he heard her choke on a sob and let his own tears fall freely. He felt the doctors trying to get him back on the gurney while they tended to his abdominal wound. He looked around at so many fellow men wounded but the one pain he couldn't ignore was not being able to comfort Olivia. Olivia let the tablet smack the vanity and cries wracked her body. She slid from the chair to the floor and found enough strength to grab her phone. Jeffries answered the phone on the second ring. Olivia could hear the noise of a busy house in the background, but it didn't matter…she needed her friend. "Olly what's wrong?" Olivia talked through her tears, "Moe…he's hurt. They're all hurt but he didn't want me to worry. Moe I can't take his pain away and Nova is—is—is. Moe I need you." Olivia heard the sound of keys and doors, "I'm already in the car. Please answer this question for me, did you cook?" Olivia tried and failed to hold in a laugh, "Yes Goldilocks and it'll be just right for you."


	16. Chapter 16

Dominic opened his eyes to a blinding light; the light was blocked by the most beautiful sight. Olivia was bent over and covering Dominic's upper body with hers. Dominic reached out to grip her legs to straddle him. Her glowing skin made her look ethereal and angelic at the same time. She smiled down at him before leaning down and planting a kiss over his heart. Dominic grabbed both of her hands and intertwined their fingers. Olivia scooted back on her knees to get more comfortable sitting astride Dominic's hips. The younger man sat up slightly and kissed her sweetly on the lips; she kissed him back eagerly. Dominic's fingertips glided across the sizable ring on her finger. The wedding ring felt so natural on her hand that his heart fluttered a little when he remembered how eagerly she had said 'yes.' Olivia let go off his hands and pulled him up towards her. He was half-sitting and half-laying in the bed with his wife being the center of his world—literally and figuratively. Dominic's hands unconsciously drifted further up Olivia's body and she helped them rest exactly where they were headed. Dominic's grin was wide and bright as his big hands rested comfortably on her round belly. Dominic bent his head and planted butterfly kisses on her belly. They heard their bedroom door opened just as two balls of energy ran full-speed ahead and catapulted into their bed. Nova and Noah automatically stared at her belly. Nova asked, "Is the baby awake?" Olivia just smiled and pulled one of her hands, as well as Noah's, and placed them near the bottom of her stomach. They both felt a big kick and laughed. Olivia's eyes moved away from them, "Dom—Dom—Dominic"

Dominic was roused awake by a young soldier, "I'm sorry for waking you sir but Dr. Callen wanted to examine you again." Dominic remained quiet and let the private help him move his legs to the side of the bed. He looked around and let out a heavy sigh when he saw the 3 vacant beds. With the shape that they all were in, Dominic knew that those vacancies meant that those three individuals didn't survive. Dominic noticed how the young soldier was pondering asking him a question; he decided to spare her, "You can ask me whatever it is you're thinking about." She hesitated momentarily, looked at him with wide green eyes, and asked, "Is Olivia your wife?" Dominic looked at her confused, "What makes you ask that?" She struggled again with her words, "Um you've been saying her name in your sleep for a few hours. I'm sorry if I'm overstepping." Dominic waved off her apologies, "No, she isn't my wife. Not yet at least. She is my girlfriend and I hope to marry her one day." "Sir, can I ask you a question? How have you done this for so long with a family at home?" Dominic studied the young woman and surmised that she couldn't be more than 19 or 20. "I love what I do and I love being able to protect my country. Olivia understands my job because she's a cop. We both see the horrors and the ugly side of the world, yet we are committed to our jobs because of the good we do and the people we save. I won't lie to you, when I first enlisted in the service…I had no one at home to carry the burden of being a military wife. It was much easier to be gone on deployment when there was no one in the picture. Now that I have someone and we have 2 children, deployments will be that much harder for me. Right now, at this age, is the time for you to decide if this is the right career for you. The Corps isn't for everybody and it doesn't make you any less if you want to get out."

The young woman gave him a small smile, "Thank you sir. You have been the only person to be completely honest with me. Before you, all other COs just told me that I knew what I was signing up for and to just do my job." Dominic looked at her fatigues to spot her nametag, "Cooper, there are many different jobs within the Corps. You don't have to take the more dangerous job. There are lower-level jobs. Anyone telling you to turn off your emotions is wrong because we're all human beings. Do what is best for you, not other people." She nodded in gratitude and helped him sit all the way up. Dominic grimaced from the movement and his entire body screamed in pain. Dominic's injuries were bad but the only thing that he could think about was Nova, Olivia, and Noah. After his exam with the doctor, Dominic grabbed the action figure and laid it on his chest before grabbing the bracelet his daughter gave him. He laid back on the cot and put both objects right over his heart. He reached down into his shirt and pulled Olivia's necklace out where he could see it. He held it tight in his hand, closing his eyes to keep the tears from bubbling up, and whispered into the night. _"I'm coming home to you baby. I'm coming home okay because I need you to be my wife. I'm coming home okay for our family."_

Olivia went back to work after a long weekend of crying. She had been so lost and felt so alone that she slept in Dominic's clothes on the floor of Noah's bedroom. Luckily, she bought Noah a bunkbed after his 4th birthday, so he and Nova were able to sleep comfortably. It would take her hours to fall asleep; once she did, she only thought about Dominic. Rather than having a good dream about him, she'd have a nightmare that he died and it'd force her to wake up in a cold sweat. Olivia took a moment in her office to relax. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out one of his watches and whispered, _"Baby, I need you to come back to me. I need you to come back to me okay. We need you to come back okay."_

Olivia put the watch in the inside pocket of her blazer and opened her laptop. She felt pinpricks of pain in her pelvis—pains that she has felt here and there for a few months. She ignored them, as usual, and told herself that she was just fatigued and stressed. Instead of knocking, Fin just opened her office door and walked over to her desk. He placed three containers of food down in front of her. Olivia didn't have a chance to speak before Fin put his hand up, "Babygirl, I love you but you look horrible. I can look at you and tell that you haven't been eating or sleeping. I got you a portobello-stuffed rice ball from that food truck that you love. I also got you a Mediterranean salad from that health-nut place you like. And finally, I got you a brownie." Olivia laughed at Fin's distaste for a vegan restaurant that she only visits for their salads. Olivia looked at the containers of food, "Fin I can't eat all of this. Besides, I'm not really hungry." Fin gave her a stern look, "Liv either you eat or I call Jeffries in here. I am not above calling in the big guns." Olivia gave him her best 'don't fuck with me' look before just giving up and opening the containers of food. Fin started to make his retreat but Olivia's uncharacteristically soft calling of his name stopped him in his tracks. He turned around to see her looking so small and fragile for the first time in a long time. He sat down across from her, "What's really wrong Olivia?" Olivia let out a mirthless chuckle, "Olivia. You only call my name like that when you're really worried about me."

Olivia used her fork to push the salad around in the container, "Does it get easier? With time, will I get used to this empty feeling every time Dominic gets deployed?" Fin tried his best to sympathize with Olivia, but his position was from the other side. "Liv, I could lie to you and say yes but I honestly don't know. I was the soldier, not the soldier's family. At the time, I wasn't dating anyone serious and I hadn't met Teresa yet, so deployments weren't that bad for me. If there's one thing that I know about you is that you are amazingly strong. He hasn't been gone that long and that's why you're feeling a bunch of different emotions. The position that I can speak from is when Teresa and Ken had to deal with being a cop's family. I was gone on assignment in Narcotics nearly as much as I was gone in the Army, if not more. That alone took its toll on my marriage. I remember Teresa thinking that I was cheating on her when I was undercover. That messed with my head because something that I did must've put her in that head space and I couldn't even tell you what it was. I don't think that you and Dominic are anything like me and Teresa were. We should've taken more time to get to know each other before getting married and pregnant with Ken. The two of you aren't as young as we were and the both of you are independent people. It sucks right now, but you have to understand that what you're feeling is what he feels when you leave to go investigate a case. To be honest, I think we have far more close calls than he does. We walk into uncertain situations constantly and the only certainty is that we have one another's' backs. He has that same kind of group with him. It'll be fine Babygirl."

Olivia smiled through her sadness, "Thank you Fin." "Anytime, now eat up" and with that he left her office and closed the door behind him. Olivia picked at her food and ate only part of everything that Fin brought her. She kept looking in the mirror to touch up her makeup; the last thing she wanted Dominic to see was how bad everything was affecting her. Olivia was in unfamiliar territory—she'd never been this dependent on anyone before. The feeling terrified her but made her never want to let it go at the same time. She held out hope for a Skype call from him but kept herself busy with paperwork that needed to be finished. The minutes turned into hours and those hours actually let Olivia catch up completely before their deadlines. Olivia looked at her clock—which read 7:30 pm—and decided to call it a night. She packed up for the night and just as she was getting ready to leave the precinct and head home, the pains in her pelvis came back full-force. Olivia sat down at the free chair next to Rollins' desk and bent over. It took nearly 20 minutes for the pains to stop and she thought about going to the doctor. Instead, she stubbornly planned to go home and take a hot bath to alleviate the pain. She turned the corner headed for the elevator, when a man in a military uniform stepped off and walked right up to her, "Are you Olivia Benson?"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Just a quick chapter**

Olivia struggled to breathe for a minute and the man caught her by the arm before her legs gave out. He walked the both of them back into the squad room. He helped her into the chair and Olivia immediately leaned forward and wrapped her arms around herself. Olivia rocked back and forth murmuring, "Please no, no" The man sat down in a chair across from her and touched her knee gently. "Lt. Benson, are you okay? I just wanted to follow up with you about my daughter's case but right now, I need you to tell me that you're okay?" Olivia lifted her head, "Your daughter?" The man nodded, "My daughter is Vanessa Moore and she told me that your unit was handling her case. You gave her your card and I just got to the city. I'm in the Army and I was granted personal leave. She told me over Skype what happened and I pulled every favor I could to get home. It still took me two weeks to get back to New York. I'm not trying to put the pressure on, but is there any progress on Vanessa's case?" Olivia sat upright in the chair and cleared her throat, "Yes Mr. Moore, I am alright. Um—your daughter's case—yes we've made progress. The offender did leave behind DNA and we are hopeful to find a match. I'll be honest with you, these cases aren't solved in an hour like a TV show. I wish I could give you more insight but, we are running down leads and verifying stories. This is a process and please feel free to call me, day or night, if you have any questions." The man shook Olivia's offered hand and pulled her into a brief hug. He started to walk away but turned back around and asked, "Do you have someone close to you deployed right now? The way you looked at me when I stepped off the elevator kind of gave it away."

Olivia chuckled, "As a matter of fact, I do. My boyfriend just got deployed recently to the Middle East." The man couldn't hide is apologetic grimace, "That's pretty rough. May I ask what branch he's in?" "Marines. This is my first time being with him when he goes away." "Do you two have any children? Never mind—that's none of my business." Olivia fanned off his apology, "Yes we have 2. A boy and girl." "It gets a little easier with time for the families. Not significantly easy, but it's something." Olivia and the older gentleman parted ways when they stepped off the elevator at the ground floor. Olivia's pelvic pains started up again when she entered her house. She used every ounce of energy she had to keep her tears from falling. Thankfully, Noah and Nova were in the middle of eating their dinner and not paying attention to her. She thanked Lucy and sent her home for the night. Olivia grabbed her portable heating pad (that thankfully ran on batteries) and immediately wrapped the heating belt around her abdomen. The heat was slowly starting to numb the pain, but Olivia stubbornly kept pushing off going to the doctor. When she was putting up the remnants of dinner, she felt a pool of liquid in-between her legs. She quickly walked into her bathroom and pulled her pants and underwear down; she saw the blood and was confused as to why she was starting her period 2 weeks early. She cleaned herself up, took a quick shower, and put on a tampon before she got ready for bed. Olivia picked up Noah and Nova one-by-one and tucked them into bed. She cleaned up the kitchen and living room before she looked over Noah's homework. She was happy when she saw that he had no mistakes and placed it back into his backpack. Olivia went over to small desk she had in the corner of the living room and picked up the school packets for Nova. Some of the schools seemed okay and some didn't fit at all. Olivia also looked at the list of recommended child trauma psychiatrists that Barba gave her after Nova's testimony. He said that when he stumbled upon the dead body of a kid his age when he was 9, his mom put him in therapy.

Olivia took all the papers into the bedroom with her. She plugged up her other heating pad and laid down in bed. Olivia was content to watch a late-night talk show, but the sharp and ripping pains going through her body were putting her through the ringer. Sleep barely came and was fitful when it did. She managed to sleep through her alarm without knowing it; Nova came into her room and tried to wake her up. Olivia was curled into a tight ball and sweating. Nova ran to get Noah; Noah grabbed Olivia's phone and dialed a well-known number. "Rollins" came the sleepy and grumpy answer. "Auntie Mandy. Something's wrong with mommy. She's not awake and she's sweating. She won't wake up-" It took Rollins all of 5 minutes to get dressed and already be halfway out the door before Noah finished speaking. Luckily, her new apartment was within walking distance of Olivia's and she opted to sprint there. In less than 15 minutes, Rollins was coming through the front door and straight into Olivia's bedroom. The kids stepped back and Rollins sat on the bed next to Olivia. She felt how hot Olivia's body was and pulled the comforter back. Olivia was sleeping on a heat pad and had another wrapped around her stomach. Rollins took it off and pulled the other one from underneath her body. She went into the bathroom and came back with a cold towel and put it on her forehead. Olivia roused and balled up tighter when a nasty cramp made her feel like she was being ripped apart. Rollins used a different towel to soak up the sweat on her neck while waiting for her to open her eyes again. "Olivia, hey it's Amanda."

Nova was just about ready to burst into tears, so Noah grabbed her hand and took her into the living room with him. Rollins heard the tv turn on and pulled Olivia up a little. "Liv what the hell is going on with you? Your kids were scared to death when they couldn't wake you up. Is this about Dominic?" Olivia shook her head no, "My periods have just gotten worse that's all." "Olivia cut the shit. You have these moments when you have sharp pains in your stomach. We all know but we ignore them because you're too stubborn to listen to us and go to the doctor. If you won't go for you, then go to doctor for your kids. You are their everything right now, and they need you."


	18. Chapter 18

Olivia could barely breathe with the pains ripping across her abdomen. The tacky and dim fluorescent lights made her head spin every time she looked up. Olivia was struggling to hold the tears in; a knock at the door made her sit up on the exam table. Olivia's doctor walked into the room with her chart and took a seat on the nearby stool. She read the chart then looked at Olivia. "Olivia, I'm going to ask you a few questions. How long have you had these stomach and pelvic pains? Days, weeks, months, years?" "I honestly don't know. My period pains have always been a bit rough but nothing I can't handle." "How long have you been sleeping with two heating pads?" "I don't know. Maybe a couple of years when the pains get really bad." "Olivia that's extremely dangerous. Has it ever occurred to you that these pains are more than just your menstrual cycle?" "Like what?" The doctor used the iPad to look up a few things. "Olivia we ran some tests on you when you first got here. I'm not sure if you remember but you were in and out of consciousness. The tests that we ran confirm that you have endometriosis. We can give you medication to manage it but the pains having gotten beyond your control because it went untreated for so long. I'm extremely hopeful that it will be better to handle or simply go away on its own with time." "Does it mean that I'm infertile? I know I'm not in the prime age-range of having a child but is my endometriosis a stamp that I can never have children?"

The doctor shook her head no. "Olivia, we can explore the IVF process to see if you have any viable eggs. Are you thinking about going down this journey alone?" "I have a boyfriend. He's younger and I just don't, I just don't want to fail him." Olivia wiped away the tears that came out of nowhere and bowed her head in embarrassment. Her doctor, someone she'd known for over 20 years, rubbed her knee, "Olivia I don't know him, but I can ensure you that he loves you just the way you are. I doubt that he wants you to change anything about you. If the two of you, or even just you, want to have a baby then you have options. If you can't carry the baby, then you can have a surrogate. If you want to chance it, then I will do everything that can to try and help you make it to delivery." Olivia tried to sit up by another sharp pain went through her abdomen. "Let me get you something for the pain. Anything else I can get you?" "Yeah, my kids. They should be in the waiting room." Olivia got the pain medication and waited for the kids. The door opened and they both came inside with Rollins. She helped them carefully climb onto the exam bed. Nova crawled up Olivia's torso until she was resting her head over Olivia's heart. Noah was cradled in her arms too and lying on the other side of her chest. Olivia's doctor came back in with her prescriptions and a follow-up appointment card. Rollins helped her put her clothes back on before they left the doctor. She drove all of them home and helped Olivia get into bed. To give her a little breathing room, Rollins let the kids help her make all of them some dinner.

Olivia was looking through the pamphlets about IVF and endometriosis. Olivia opened her laptop and started to scroll through her pictures. She stopped on her most recent album that had numerous pictures of her new family. Her eyes watered when she thought about not being able to give Dominic a child. Olivia spent years making peace with the fact that she wouldn't carry a child herself. Now that she was with Dominic, she felt like she was holding him back. Her Skype started to ring so she answered it. Seeing Dominic made the tears come full force. "Olivia? Baby what's wrong? What happened? Talk to me please." Olivia was full out sobbing now; she got herself under control and looked at him through the computer screen. "I just miss you Dom. I miss you so much." Dominic's eyes mirrored hers. "I miss you too baby, more than you know. Liv, I know that's not what's really wrong with you. Please tell me, no matter what it is." Olivia sniffled, "You'll hate me. We'll break up."

"No we won't. Nothing you tell me will break us up. I promise. I love you too much for that. Now what's wrong baby?" Olivia cleaned her face but the tears wouldn't stop, "I been having these horrible pains for a while." "The ones you usually get in the middle of the night that fade away by the morning?" Dominic asked interrupting her. He smirked at her surprised face, "What? I'm observant." "I um—Dominic I have endometriosis. It's what the pains have been. It's manageable with medication and could even go away on it's on." "That's what has you so paranoid? Baby, it's okay. We'll work through it, it'll be fine." Olivia started shutting down, "No we won't be. Dominic I've never wanted a real family with anyone I've dated. With you it's different and it bothers me because of our age difference and the fact that I can't give you a child." Dominic wished he could wipe her tears away. "Olivia I'm not with you for the sole purpose of us having a child together. If we are able to, then great. But if we aren't, it'll still be okay. Olivia as long as I have you, Noah, and Nova…I'm complete. The three of you are the reason why I live. Liv you are my dream woman and I feel eternally grateful every minute of the day knowing that you chose me. Now baby please don't cry. I love you." "I love you too Dom." Olivia's bedroom door opened, and Rollins held up a bowl of pasta that she made. Olivia smiled softly at her and mouthed thank you. "Dom, I think they're some people who want to talk to you." Dominic's face lit up and the conversation got lively and boisterous as Dominic talked with his children. Olivia went into the kitchen with Rollins. "Thank you, Amanda, for everything. I'm sorry that I freaked everybody out." Rollins used her fork to steal some of Olivia's pasta, "Don't do it again. I don't want to be on the receiving end of your kids' tempers." "What makes you think they have tempers?" "I've met their parents. How are you feeling?" "The pain meds stopped the muscle spasms, so I feel a lot better." "Good because I threw you in the lions' den." Olivia stood up straight, "What do you mean?" Rollins walked to the front door, "I told the girls about you been secretive about the doctors." "Amanda!" Olivia said through clenched teeth. As the women strolled in one by one, Olivia's frustration went away, and she felt a bit more relaxed. Jeffries was the last to walk in carrying alcohol. Olivia whined, "Moe I can't drink with my meds." Jeffries played bartender and pushed a glass in front of Olivia. "Here's an apple juice neat, hold the pulp. Would you like me to leave the bottle?" All the women, including Olivia, dissolved into laughter.


	19. Chapter 19

"I'll carry the baby for you if you can't" Jeffries said to break the silence. Olivia looked over the top of her glasses at her friend and put the file down. "Come again?" Olivia asked. Jeffries grabbed the other half of her sandwich and started munching. With a mouth full of food she said, "I said I'd carry the baby for you if you can't. I saw the pamphlets for IVF. You know that Alex has had endometriosis for years. She made peace with not being able to have kids, mostly because she's never wanted them. You on the other hand, were born to be a mother. By the way, I want you to come somewhere with me after work." "Where?" "It's a surprise." And with that, Jeffries left Olivia in her office to finish writing reports. Olivia took another dose of her medication and made herself some tea. She looked out at the squad room and it was then when she truly understood that Cragen always saw SVU as family. She was fully staffed with newbies and veterans of the force that had one another's back 100%. She had her best friend, the rest of her girlfriends, her children, Dominic, and his own family. For the first times in decades, Olivia has a genuine support system. She missed Dominic every moment of the day, but she knew that this is what she signed up for being committed to a military man. In some weird twist of fate, Olivia now has the life that she's always wanted. She had a man that truly loved her, kids that adored her, and friends that supported her.

The entire squad managed to finish around 8:00, so they all disappeared into the night. Olivia was trying to sneak out, but Jeffries stopped her in place. "Did you really think that I'd let you slip past me? Come on, let's go." Olivia hoped that Jeffries wasn't taking her to do something crazy like she always does. "Moe we can't be out all night, I have to get the kids." Jeffries smiled, "Don't worry about it. I called Spanky and she's more than happy to watch them tonight. She even offered to take them to school tomorrow if you weren't up for it." "Why wouldn't I be up for it?" Jeffries shrugged, "I don't know Ollie. Things happen." They pulled up to a small building and they got out and walked inside. Inside the building, there were about 50 women chatting amongst themselves and enjoying refreshments. Olivia turned to Jeffries with a confused look on her face and asked, "What is this? AA for housewives?" Jeffries laughed, "No it's kind of like a support group. Every woman in this room has someone deployed in the military. Whether it's a boyfriend, husband, mother, sister, wife, girlfriend, brother, father, uncle, son, cousin, daughter, grandfather, or just friend; they all have someone serving in one of the five branches. I brought you here, because in the beginning, they helped me more than you know when Ed was deployed. You were great Ollie, but you didn't know how I felt because you weren't in my shoes. Now you are and I can only help you so much because Ed isn't in the service anymore but Dominic still is. Ed was also in the Navy and Dominic is a Marine. Whatever I can't help you with, they might be able to." Olivia hugged her friend as tight as she could. Jeffries clapped her hands loudly to get the women's attention. "Ladies, this is my baby love Olivia and she needs some TLC." A younger woman handed her a small plate of fruit. "Which branch?" "Marines" Olivia replied. The woman called out, "Tiffany, you've got another turtledove."

For almost 2 hours, Olivia found herself right at home with this group of women. Talking to them, planning to bring the kids to group outings, and cooking nights made Olivia feel a little more at peace. She stopped by Spanky's on the way home to check on the kids. They talked for a bit before Spanky urged Olivia to go back to her own place and enjoy a night of quiet. She tried and failed to fight it and surrendered to going home and sleeping peacefully. Olivia tried to Skype Dominic and was surprised when he picked up. He looked a little better and the bruises and cuts were starting to heal. It was daytime where he was, so he instantly asked, "Shouldn't you be asleep?" She smiled at him, "Probably but I wanted to try and talk to you first. How are you feeling?" He smiled back at her, "I'm alright baby. How are you? Are the meds working?" "Yes. They are. I wanted to talk to you about—" A loud alarm on Dominic's side cut their conversation short. Olivia was a little upset that they could finish but she understood, "Go ahead Dom. Be safe. I love you." "I love you too baby." Oliva closed the laptop and went into her bathroom. She started the tub and waited for it to fill up. While she was waiting, she got a text from Alex.

 _Liv I'm sorry that you're experiencing what I've been dealing with for years. Depending on how bad the pain is, your doctor probably prescribed you Celebrex. It's good stuff but if you want to do IVF, stick to ibuprofen so that your chances will be better. Celebrex can lower fertility. You and Dominic will make beautiful babies and you have ready-made ovens at your disposal. We all love you Liv. Sweet Dreams!_

A/N: Olivia will be getting a surprise in the next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

Olivia and Dominic's last Skype had been nearly a month ago; she somehow got into a routine of not obsessing over him every minute. She found a school for Nova, with the help of Casey, and spent a lot of her time getting Nova settled in school. While she was at work, Noah and Nova were either with Spanky or Sandra. Olivia regularly went back to the group of women that she now referred to as her military sisters. She even took the kids to a big picnic that Jeffries and her husband hosted in Central Park will all the women and their families. It was easier to delegate at work because she had so many detectives. Olivia had been lucky enough to have support from some of the people that Dominic served with. To keep up his end of the deal, Olivia kept going by the hospital to visit Dominic's friend. After the trial, she took the kids with her for the first time. She hoped, and was happy, that meeting the kids lifted his spirits. She decided to go to the store to pick up some groceries.

Olivia was waiting in line for the butcher to ask for her order when she felt a tap on her shoulder. she turned around and came face to face with Simon. "Simon, it's been a while. How have you been?" "We—I've been alright Liv." Olivia gave him a once-over look and noticed the wedding band on his finger, "Tracy took you back?" Simon shook his head no, "She's let me back in Ty and Olivia's lives but I'm not sure if we'll ever get back together. We love each other but Tracy still wants space. I just can't make myself take it off." Olivia patted his shoulder, "So give it to her Simon. If it's meant to be, then the two of you with be together again down the road." Olivia and Simon parted ways after both seeing the butcher. Olivia wanted to get a few things done at home before she took Nova to the nail salon with her. Olivia walked into her house and put away the groceries. She refilled the candy jar with peppermints that the kids loved. She went about organizing the kitchen and going through the mail. After a half hour, she went into her bedroom to freshen up. If she'd been paying attention, she would've noticed the bag sitting in the middle of the floor. She went into her closet but came right back out when she heard her shower running. She grabbed the wooden bat in her closet and burst into the bathroom. "Please don't hit me with that."

At that voice, Olivia snapped out of her haze and let the bat drop to the ground with a thump. She screamed like a little girl, "Dom! What are you doing here? Please tell me that I'm not dreaming." He smiled at her and walked over to her; Dominic started to undress her. He pulled her shirt over her head, "I'm back for some R&R. unfortunately, I'll only be here for a week before being shipped back out." He moved on to her long skirt and pulled it down slowly. Both Dominic's presence and the cool breeze flowing through the bathroom made her skin break out in goosebumps. Dominic kissed her thighs before gently parting them. Olivia had one hand with a death grip on the door and the other in his hair. She whimpered as Dominic kissed her clit and then nibbled on it. He gently parted her lower lips and pushed his tongue inside of her. Olivia's knees buckled, but Dominic was there to catch her. He kissed his way up her body. He unhooked her bra and pulled it away from her body. Dominic undressed as fast as he could and pulled them both into the shower. Olivia kissed Dominic's cheek and then his mouth, "You're really here Dom." He kissed her eyes before the tears fell, "I'm right here baby. No crying. I just want to live in this moment." The hot water washed over their bodies; Olivia was glowing, just like his dreams, and he couldn't wait any longer. He had to have her! Olivia saw the look in his eyes and locked her hands around his neck. Dominic slowly slipped inside of her and pulled her body down until their hips met. Olivia's bottom lip quivered and she bit down on his shoulder to muffle the screams coming from her body. She met him thrust for thrust and continued to whisper in his ear, "I love you. I love you forever. Only you."

Her words sent Dominic into a frenzy. Dominic wanted to be with Olivia for the rest of his life but deep within him, he wanted a child with her. He wanted to implant his seed in her and watch it grow. He wanted to watch her body change by bearing a child—his child. He wanted to see how beautiful of a child they'd make. Noah looks like Olivia carried him herself and Nova was a gorgeous little girl. Olivia started to get restless, with her impending orgasm, as the shower started to run cold. He pulled out of her and turned her around. He brought his lips down to her ear, "Is this okay baby? Can I take you like this?" Olivia gripped the top of the shower door and pushed her hips back into him, "Dom, I want to feel every inch of you. Don't hold back." Dominic got a firm grip on her hips and surged forward. His hands were leaving bruises on his hips, yet he could feel her get wetter…so much wetter. He kept tilting her hips up so that he'd get closer and closer to hitting her g-spot. Olivia's shrieks and convulsing are what did him in and he emptied every ounce of himself into her womb. The aftershocks of his orgasm—lazy strokes—had her body vibrating and her greedy body came so hard that it trapped Dominic within her depths for minutes after she came down from her high. Dominic helped her get out the shower and into a warm robe. He stood behind her and wrapped her wet hair in a towel. Olivia pulled his arms around her and kissed each finger one-by-one. He kissed her shoulder, then her neck. "I've missed you so much baby." "I've missed you too Dom. You didn't have to ask." Dominic looked at her funny and she looked away from him and replied, "Positions. You don't have to handle me with kid gloves." Dominic sensed the fight coming and got in front of it.

He turned her around and got on his knees in front of her and grabbed both of her hands, "I'm not handling you with kid gloves. The scum of the earth nearly took you from me before I ever had you. He inflicted physical and emotional pain. Baby, even though you feel like you have to be Superwoman, I know that you have flashbacks. I know that you have horrible flashbacks and that's okay. You don't have to be strong for me baby. Let me be strong for you. You and our family are my life." Olivia kissed him, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep being this difficult—" Dominic pulled her up to stand and kissed her forehead, "Difficult is what I signed up for being with you. I love you." Olivia hugged him tight and didn't want to let go. Dominic kept his face buried in her neck, "What did you want to talk to me about? Our last Skype got cut short." Olivia mumbled her response and his eyes went wide. He pulled back, "Are you serious? You want to have a baby?"

Olivia pulled out of his embrace and took the towel off her head. "I know it's sudden but not for me. I've always wanted to have a child of my own, but I could never make myself have random sex to make a baby. Every relationship I've had has gone to shit before we ever got the baby conversation. And us—we are brand-new in this and we have our own—" Dominic turned her around once more and grabbed her face, "Shut up Olivia. I would love to have a baby with you. Is this the other thing that you found out when you went to the doctor? Are you pregnant?" Olivia hated to break that smile on his face, "No, I'm not. There may not even be a chance that I can every carry a baby full-term. The doctor and I talked about IVF." "What would you need from me?" "Well, she'll need to see if I have any viable eggs. Then, we'd need your sperm. And if by some miracle I'm able to, I'll start fertility shots. And we'd have to keep trying, which would be hard with you deployed and—" "And we'll make it work because I want forever with you." Olivia jumped into his awaiting arms, "And I want forever with you too."

 **A/N: The second half of this chapter is up next. Of course Dominic can't come home and not see his kids.**


	21. Chapter 21

Olivia twirled around the kitchen in Dominic's shirt eating fruit. He sat on the floor, fixing Noah's and Nova's bikes. Olivia couldn't help but stare at him and be in awe of how perfect he was. He was a great man and she felt like she didn't deserve him. Dominic looked at her over his shoulder, "Penny for your thoughts Liv." Olivia didn't say anything because the front door opened and Jeffries walked in with the kids. They instantly saw Dominic and started shrieking, "Daddy's home!" Olivia and Jeffries made eye-contact and she smiled softly before quietly sliding out the front door. Nova wouldn't let go of Dominic; it was highly amusing watching him trying to get anything done with two kids wrapped around him. She decided to make homemade pizza for dinner while Dominic spent quality time with the kids. Dominic played cops and robbers in the kids bedrooms; he was currently being held in a holding cell (behind two jump ropes tied to the bunkbed) , "Daddy, are you home for good?" Nova asked while she wiped off her Sheriff's badge. "I'm sorry baby but Daddy's only back for a little while. Don't be sad." He reached over to push her hair out of her face. "Noah come over here. I want to talk to you guys about something."

Olivia had just taken the pizza out the oven when she called out to them. "Guys dinner's ready." She walked towards the bedroom door when they both shot around the corner, nearly giving her a heart attack, and ran into the kitchen. She turned the corner and burst out in giggles when she saw Dominic locked up in the slammer. "Did you not get your one phone call?" He looked over at her with a smirk, "I think that the officers who brought me in missed that day. Are you here to bail me out ma'am?" Olivia walked over, kneeled down, and kissed him through the bars of the cell. "I guess that I can bail you out, but it'll cost you." Olivia untied the jump ropes and Dominic swatted her ass. She jumped with a yelp and turned around to shove him. They enjoyed a great meal and movies as a family. Dominic dozed off, but when he woke up on the couch, his entire family was sleeping on him. Olivia was asleep with her head in his lap, Nova was half-laying on Olivia and him with her head on his shoulder. Noah was asleep against his left arm. He slowly ran his fingers through Olivia's hair and stopped when she stirred. He froze in place and just watched his family sleep. He thought back to the earlier conversation he had with Olivia about having kids. He couldn't wrap his mind around why she couldn't see how amazing she was. He was the luckiest man on Earth and he'd never forget it.

Dominic snuck out early the next morning to run a couple of errands. Olivia got called into work, so luckily it didn't ruin anything he decided to do. One of his last stops was to Casey. She met him at a bistro nearby. "Thank you for meeting me Casey." "Not a problem. So, what's up?" "Olivia told me about the IVF. I was wondering that if she couldn't—" Casey put her hand on his, "You don't even have to ask. I'd be honored to be your surrogate. Olivia is one of my closet friends; it'd be pretty great to carry a little Liv for you guys." Dominic smiled and hugged her. "I do have a question though, why me? Out of all her friends, why me?" Casey asked. Dominic drank his coffee, "You have a safe job that doesn't put you in the line of fire and you have kids young enough to where your body and life won't be disrupted too much. Besides Amanda, you have the youngest child." Casey sipped on her lemonade, "Smart man." Dominic paid for their food and helped her into her jacket. "Dominic?" "Yeah?" "Are you being careful over there? I have eyes and I can see fading bruises. Olivia can't handle losing you." "I'm being as careful as I can, but this is my job. It's what I signed up for. If Olivia asked me today, I'd leave the Marines." "We both know that she'd never ask you to." "I know that, but I still would without even thinking about it." Casey started laughing and Dominic asked, "What's so funny?" "I'm just thinking about a bet that I'm almost certain I'm going to lose. Thank you for lunch Dominic. Take care of yourself."

Olivia got back to her office after a long day and frowned at an unfamiliar piece of folded-up paper on her desk. She unfolded the paper and smiled when she recognized Dominic's handwriting; it was a scavenger hunt and she couldn't wait to get to the finish line.

In hindsight, she felt a bit like a fool but giddy at the same time. To begin, she was led to the interrogation room that she interviewed Dominic in for the first time. Next, she followed the map to the playground in the park where they ran into each other after 7 years. After that, it was the bowling alley where they officially became a couple. It got a bit chilly outside, which made her pulled here jacket a bit tighter. The final stop made her let out a deep belly laugh when she looked up. Olivia was standing outside of Frankenburger. She walked inside and immediately knew something was up; it was far too quiet. She walked around the restaurant and saw Dominic sitting at their Cars table. She walked over with a wide smile, "Dom what is all this?" He pushed a plate in front of her, "Dinner." "And the scavenger hunt?" she challenged. He smiled at her, "Just a brain teaser. Do you have all the trinkets you picked up along the way?" Olivia emptied her jacket pocket and none of the things she picked up made any sense. There was a ribbon, a magnet, paracord, and a small tube of super glue.

They ate the food in silence until Olivia's curiosity got the best of her. "Dom, what the hell do all of these things mean? I'm actually confused by them." "The greatest detective that I know is confused?" Olivia glared at him before he stood up. He spread all of the items out on the table and stood behind her. "Tell me, what do all these things have in common?" Olivia shook her head, "Um they all are things you could find in a junk drawer. Things that children would misplace or hide in their rooms." Dominic started to slowly back away from her. "Come on Liv, give it one more try. Please." Olivia stood there and thought hard for a moment; Dominic was quietly shuffling behind her. A lightbulb went off and she excitedly said, "They all hold something together! They keep a bond intact." Olivia didn't get a response from Dominic, so she turned around and gasped. Dominic was on both of his knees in front of her holding a gorgeous ring. "They do all keep a bond together, so does this. Olivia will you please, please be my wife?" Olivia couldn't stop the tears, "I would love to be Mrs. Dominic Pruitt." She let him slide the ring on her finger and jumped into his arms. "I love you so much Dom." "I love you too Liv." "Is this why you snuck out so early this morning?" "I don't know what you're talking about. I had errands to run." They both laughed and she stared at her ring. It was stunning. Dominic bought her a jade-colored diamond that had two smaller stones on either side of it; those other two stones were Nova and Noah's birthstones. The setting was a mix of gold and silver twined together. Dominic had yet to put her down, "Dom, how much did this ring cost?" "Not enough. I'd give you the world if you asked for it." She hugged him and kissed his neck, "I don't need the world…just you."

Their moment was interrupted when Olivia heard the sound of shoes. She followed the noise and tugged Dominic along with her. They got to the front of the restaurant and the kids automatically looked at her hand, "You said yes!" Olivia hugged them both, "You knew that daddy was going to ask me to marry him? Why didn't anybody tell me?" Noah pushed her bangs back, "It was Top Secret mommy."


	22. Chapter 22

Olivia picked at her nails while staring at the closed door. The only calm resolve she had was Dominic rubbing her knee through the thin exam gown. Her doctor came back into the room with her medical chart. "You must be the boyfriend?" Dominic shook her hand, "Actually, I'm the fiancé." The newly engaged couple shared a sweet smile. "Well, let's get down to business. After running all the necessary tests, I have good news and bad news." Olivia's face immediately fell and she mumbled, "Just get it over with and tell me." Olivia's doctor grabbed her hand in comfort, "The bad news is that there are far too many risks for me to be comfortable with you carrying a baby. The good news is that you have 5 viable eggs and we can start the IVF process. That starts with harvesting your eggs and using your fiancé's sperm to fertilize them. If the process is successful, do the two of you have a surrogate in mind? I always recommend someone that you know because a surrogate from an agency can run you at least $30,000 if not more." Dominic shook his head yes, "We have a surrogate in mind." Olivia looked at him confused, "Who?" "Casey agreed to. I talked to her before the proposal." Olivia didn't have many words to say but she kissed him, "I love you Dom."

They agreed to start the process of harvesting her eggs; Olivia and Dominic were at the doctor's office for a few hours before finally being allowed to go home. They were both hopeful that they would have at least one embryo. Sitting in the doctor's office really gave Olivia the time to think about how bad she wanted a baby with Dominic. After so many years of pushing it back, Olivia thought that she was over that notion. With Noah, she was certain of it until Dominic and Nova flipped her world upside down. She would return to work tomorrow with so many new things going on in her life. Dominic would be leaving by the end of the week, she had to tell everyone about her impending nuptials, and she had to wait for the results of their IVF. She was feeling so many different things that made her feel as if her head would explode. When she got to the squad, she made a beeline for her office and managed to trip over Alex's long legs. Melinda helped her stay upright and Olivia slowly turned around to see all of her female friends. She gave an awkward wave and plopped down in her seat. They all participated in the same childish game of not speaking that Olivia was exhibiting. Melinda was the one to break the silence after about 10 minutes, "How long do you expect us to ignore that big ass rock on your finger?" Olivia had a dumbfounded look on her face before she let out a relieved sigh. Rollins caught on rather quickly, "Liv, you just nearly pissed your pants and it wasn't because we noticed the ring. What else has happened?" Olivia just decided to be completely forthcoming instead of beating around the bush. She took a deep breath, "Dominic and I went to the doctor today. We're going to give IVF a go. I'm scatterbrained because I feel like I pushed him into this and he leaves in 3 days and—" Casey put her hand over Olivia's mouth.

"Will you relax? It's just us. You didn't rush him into anything because he loves you. He's crazy about you Liv. I can't say that I know where you're coming from because I don't, but all of us will be here for you when Dominic leaves. We're not going anywhere so just breathe. Don't be so scared. We've got your back." Olivia gave them a brilliant smile and a nod of gratitude. The next few days left Olivia with a whirlwind of emotions; Dominic had been gone for a day…he left on the same day that they got the news of Olivia having viable eggs. Luckily, he was able to give a specimen before he left and they both kept their fingers crossed for positive results. Somehow, Nova and Noah were adjusting to Dominic's absence better than she was, which turned out to be an amazing thing.

Happy tears, giggles, and smiles permanently adorned the face of the Benson-Pruitts. 3 was her magic number at the moment. 3 was the number of eggs she had, 3 was the number of months Dominic had left on deployment, the third time was the charm for fertilization—with Casey after Olivia's body failed her twice, and 3 was the amount of weeks it took her to plan out every detail of her wedding. Now—Olivia was finally in a baby store, not shopping for a friend. Casey was having a stress-free and easy pregnancy thus far; the only thing was that Olivia was itching to tell Dominic the news but extremely excited to tell him in person. She had an over-the-top unveiling for him.

Olivia was picking up blankets and bedding when she bumped into another woman. They both reached for the dropped items and stood up straight. "Olivia?" Olivia looked up into Kathy Stabler's bright blue eyes. "Kathy! Hi, it's been a while." Kathy tried to hide the anxious feeling she had and opted to change the subject. "We heard that you made Sergeant. Congratulations Liv." Olivia smiled, "Actually, it's Lieutenant. Thanks Kathy." Olivia paused for a moment before gently asking, "How is he?" Kathy let out the breath she was holding, "Better. The first few years after—were the worst. Now El is a trainer with the Marines. He enjoys it." Olivia shook her head in understanding and Kathy's eyes zoned in on her hand. She giddily squealed, "Liv you're married?" Olivia's smile matched Kathy's, "Not yet, just engaged." 'When's the big day?" Olivia's smile fell slightly, "We don't know yet. Dominic is a Marine and he's deployed right now." Kathy placed a hand on her shoulder, "I understand exactly where you're coming from. What else is new with you Liv? It's been ages since we caught up."

Olivia and Kathy walked towards another section of the store, "Dominic and I have 2 children. He was a single dad of a daughter, Nova, and I was the single mother of our son, Noah. I rescued Noah on a case and fate led me to be his foster mom and later his mother." Kathy hugged her tightly, "I'm really happy for you. I know how long you wanted to be a mom. I happy that you're finally getting your happy ending." Olivia held back the tears just as an idea popped into her head. She stopped Kathy before she walked away, "I'm throwing a little welcome home party for Dominic in a couple of weeks. You should come and bring the family with you…all the family." Kathy was shocked, "Are you sure? You and Elliott haven't spoken in what 8 years?" Olivia nodded her head, "I'm sure. El was always there for me and regardless as to what happened, I think he deserves to see that I'm happy and I have a great family. You guys were my family for so long that I guess I want ALL my family to know each other." "We'd love to come." Olivia texted Kathy her new number and sent her all the necessary information before taking her purchases to the counter and paying for them.

{back in the Stabler home}

Kathy returned from the baby store with 2 big bags of things for their youngest daughter Olivia. The soon-to-be 3-year-old favored Olivia a lot more as she got older. She had the signature blue Stabler eyes with chocolate brown hair that reached her shoulders and pudgy cheeks. Kathy felt slightly bad for not telling Olivia that she and Elliott had another child with her namesake; but Kathy also noticed that Olivia never said why she was in a baby store to begin with. Kathy walked up behind Elliott—who was making dinner—and kissed the back of his neck before snuggling into his body. She peppered kisses behind his ear, "You'll never guess who I ran into today." Elliott kissed her hand, that was resting on his shoulder "Let me guess, Marie from Yoga or was it Trina from the Juice Bar?" Kathy chuckled, "No, it was Liv. I ran into her at the baby store on 157th." Elliott stiffened and turned around in his wife's arms, "Liv? How is she?" "She's good. She's actually engaged to a Marine and they have 2 kids together. She looks stunning and is glowing." Elliott felt his chest constrict, "Liv's a mom? She finally became a mom?" Kathy shook her head yes, "She invited us to the welcome home party she's throwing for her fiancé in a couple of weeks. She said that we were her family for so long that it felt right to have both of her families around. Elliott, I know you think that Liv is holding a grudge, but sweetie I don't think she is. I think that she truly misses her best friend."

Elliott pulled away, "I abandoned her, then I ignored her. We had another baby, I chose a different career….life changed. We've been living less than an hour away from her and I never tried to reach out once. What kind of friend does that make me? I can't go Kathy. You go without me; I'll stay home with Olivia." Kathy put her hands on her hips, "No! Elliott you will go with me because Olivia wants to see you and so that we can tell her that our last baby was nearly her birthday twin. A lot of time has passed yet she still wants to see and talk to you. Doesn't that count for something?" Elliott remained quiet and went back to preparing dinner.


	23. Chapter 23

**Short chapters for now until I have more free time to longer ones.**

Today was the day of the party and Olivia was feeling a full range of emotions. She felt giddy, nervous, stressed, slightly nauseous, and frustrated. She was frustrated with herself for thinking that she could pull this whole thing off by herself, giddy about Dominic coming home, nervous about revealing the pregnancy to him, nauseous because she's been on the go all morning without eating, and stressed about whether or not the Stablers would show up to the party. Olivia was standing in her kitchen with rollers in her hair, a bra, and lounge pants on. Usually she'd be too self-conscious to be seen in such a state, but she had a day full of errands and little time to waste. Not only would Dominic be finding out about the baby, so would the kids. They were hopeless with keeping secrets, so she was waiting to tell the three of them together. She checked the time are realized that she needed to head out soon to get Dominic. She quickly got dressed in a green and white wrap dress with strappy sandals. "Guys, are you ready?" Nova and Noah came out the bedroom and waited by the front door. The small family made their way to the airfield to greet their long-awaited patriarch.

Dominic saw them before he got off the plane. He was excited with some news of his own. He had so many plans for his family. He didn't have to wait until he reached them, because they came running towards him first. Nova was starting to favor Olivia more every day and Noah was getting so tall. He couldn't pinpoint why Olivia was glowing, but she was radiant. He hugged his kids with everything that he had. He placed them both back on the ground and held his arms open for Olivia. She wasted no time and jumped into her fiancé's arms. Her super curly hair, with help from the wind, surrounded the both of them in a sort of halo. He kissed her passionately and held her close. When the kiss ended, she pulled away slightly and whispered, "Hi." He chuckled, "Hi to you too." He let her go and she intertwined their fingers as he picked his bag up. When Olivia parked the SUV, Dominic looked around confused. "Where are we Liv?" she said nothing but handed him and the kids blindfolds. He decided to carry Noah on his back while Liv carried Nova on her hip. She guided them slowly, by holding his hand, over to their rented private gazebo at the park. She stopped walking and took off everyone's blindfolds. The massive group of their family and friends all screamed "Welcome Home Dominic!" at the top of their lungs. He was speechless and so were the kids. Before them stood Olivia's squad, her friends, Spanky and all her foster kids, Nana, some of Dominic's Marine buddies, his other military friends, and the mutual friends they shared. Olivia was ecstatic about the turnout; however, she was a little sad that Elliot's family decided not to come.

The party was in full swing and Olivia found herself nibbling on grilled fruit as she made the kids a plate. She looked over to see Dominic completely relaxed and joking with friends at a nearby table. She looked over his shoulder and felt her heart stop. Coming over the hill was none other than the entire Stabler family. She could see that Maureen, Lizzie, and Kathleen all had families. Eli was now a preteen, but she couldn't place the youngest girl. She figured that Kathy was just holding one of her granddaughters. She timidly walked over them and was enveloped in hugs by the oldest children. She looked at Eli, "Do you remember me?" He gave her wide smile and moved in for a hug, "Of course I do Aunt Liv." "Guys you can go join everyone else. I'm gonna talk to your parents for a little bit." Olivia rubbed her sweaty palms together and asked Kathy, "So, who does this little beauty belong to?" Kathy hesitated for a moment while Olivia played with the baby in her arms. "She's ours." Olivia's big, brown, confused eyes rocked Elliot to his core. "What do you mean?" "We um, we had Olivia 2 years ago. She was definitely our last and the both of us almost didn't make it." Olivia was shocked, "You named her after me?" Kathy shook her head yes, "It was the first name that came to mind mixed with the fact that she was the only one since Dicky that was born with brown hair that hasn't changed." Olivia smiled through a mist of tears, "Thank you for naming such a beauty after me." She turned to Elliot and smiled, "It's been a long time partner." He couldn't hide his tears and choked on his words, "I'm so sorry Liv." She pulled Elliott into a long overdue hug, that he gladly reciprocated, "It's okay El. I forgive you. I promise, I forgive you." Kathy stepped away to give them some privacy; they hugged and cried silently for about 5 minutes. They pulled away and he wiped her tears away, being careful of her makeup. She cleared her throat, "Are you ready to meet my family?" Elliot shook his yes and let Olivia lead him to the celebration.

 **PART TWO OF DOMINIC'S PARTY IN NEXT CHAPTER**


	24. Chapter 24

"Elliot this is my fiancé Dominic. Dom this is Elliot, my former partner", Olivia introduced the men and waved in the direction of her children. When they came over, she knelt down, "Noah, Nova this is Elliot and his family. He used to be mommy's partner for a long time." Nova smiled softly, "At the squad?" Olivia shook her head yes. They both responded, "Hi Mr. Elliot. Hi Mr. Elliot's family." They ran off to go play with the other kids, but not before inviting the Stabler grandchildren. "Dicky, Lizzie, Kathleen, Maureen the food is ready. Feel free to mingle." Dominic walked away momentarily and returned to give Olivia and Kathy lemonade. Kathy took the drink, "Thank you Dominic. How are you? How long have you been back?" Dominic responded, "I'm much better now that I'm home. I've been back for 9 hours." Olivia and Kathy let Dominic and Elliot venture off to have a private conversation.

On their walk to the food table, Kathy nudged Olivia, "Can I ask why you were in a baby store?" Olivia smirked, "You'll find out like everyone else." Elliot felt at a loss for words, but he couldn't help himself, "Liv is very important to me. I need to know that she's being treated right." "Can I be honest with you?" Dominic asked as Elliot nodded. "I have no idea why she chose me. I have no idea how I got this lucky. I was fine with being alone and raising my daughter, but fate had other plans for me." They both looked at Olivia laughing with her friends and Dominic continued speaking, "She's perfect and I will be the luckiest man for the rest of my days." Elliot looked at her and felt his guilt rising, "Do you think—as her future husband—that she hates me?" he whispered out. Dominic turned around with a slight smirk, "I think she thanks you." Elliot was confused, "What? I don't follow." Dominic put a reassuring hand on Elliot's shoulder, "From what I gather, the two of you were too consumed with each other to blossom. She didn't have any room to grow and you didn't have the willpower to finally retire from the force. You seem happy and content. And Olivia—she got the opportunity to rise in the ranks and lead her own squad. She thanks you because she was able to have her OWN family. We both know that's a major thing for her. We both know her pretty well, so you should know that she doesn't hate you. She probably resented the way everything played out for a while, but she harbors no ill-will for you." Elliot felt his eyes well up and gave Dominic a strong handshake. "Thank you for being the man she needs in her life. Thank you for giving her happiness and children. Thank you for picking up and improving where I left off." Dominic handed Elliot a beer, "Stop beating yourself up…we can always get Liv to do that." They both shared a boisterous laugh.

Olivia took a quick phone call and sported a large grin. She rounded up everybody in front of the gazebo and ensured that Dominic was by her side. Casey snuck into the crowd and was to remain well hidden until Olivia gave her the signal. Olivia spoke loudly, "Thank you for coming out everyone. This picnic is important for three reasons. First, Dominic is back home in one piece and safe." Fin jumpstarted a loud clapping. "Second, we are getting married next week." It was Rollins turn to set off loud congratulatory praises. Dominic was confused as to what the last reason could be; Olivia gave Casey the signal. "Last and most important, Casey is carrying our third child!" Casey popped up in the center and rubbed her big belly with a laugh. The speechlessness lasted mere seconds as Noah and Nova started cheering and ran to hug Casey before hugging their parents. No one could hide their happy tears for Dominic and Olivia. Dominic lifted her off the ground and kissed her senseless. "We're having a baby?" he asked with his forehead rested against hers. She responded, "We're having a baby. I love you Dom." Dominic put her on the ground and commanded the attention of everyone once more. "I know that this is a lot to digest, but I have an announcement of my own. As of tomorrow, I am officially retired from the Marine Corps. Effective immediately, I will be a training instructor and recruiter stationed out of Queens." Olivia's tears wouldn't stop, "Dom, you gave up the Marines for—" He silenced her with a kiss, "I reevaluated the Marines because my family is number one. I don't want to keep missing important events. I can't wait to make you Mrs. Pruitt next week." "I can't wait to become Mrs. Pruitt."

Casey spoke up, "I don't mean to interrupt the love fest, but I can't wait to feed your kid so that he/she can stop kicking me in the ribs. Quick question, are there any ribs?"


	25. Chapter 25

The sun shining through the semi-closed curtains woke Olivia up from a peaceful slumber. She stretched her body and turned to look at her fiancé. Tomorrow was their big day and she couldn't wait. Everything was so perfect that she was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. She couldn't believe that Dominic was home for good, she couldn't believe that she was marrying this great man, and she definitely couldn't believe that they had a child on the way in less than 4 months. Olivia gingerly got out of bed and tiptoed out the bedroom. She went into living room to see the numerous half-packed boxes. She and Dominic decided at his welcome back party that they would find a bigger place. To their surprise, Cragen offered them his brownstone, the one that he moved out of but never sold when he and his wife divorced. He simply told them that he and Eileen were moving up to Albany to be closer to her grandchildren. Olivia was speechless and offered to buy it, but Cragen told her that he wanted to ensure that his daughter and grandchildren had enough space and were safe in the city. She cried and hugged him as tight as she could. Everyone offered to pitch in and help them move. All the guys, including the Stablers, moved a lot of their furniture into the brownstone. The previous day was spent clearing out Dominic's place and both of their storage units. The women took turns having the kids over for sleepovers so that Oliva and Dominic could pack their things more efficiently.

Olivia smiled to herself before going into the kids' old bedroom. The only thing that was left was their clothing. Olivia and Dominic decided to forgo a honeymoon and spend that time moving in and settling into their new home as a family. 'Family' was something Olivia thought she'd never have until Noah came along. 'Husband' was something she gave up on over a decade ago. 'Happiness' is where her heart has settled for eternity because of Dominic. She slowly walked back into their room and just watched him from the doorway. She noted how the Middle Eastern sun gave him a golden tan. He got even more muscular; however, he did accrue some new scars on his stomach. She slowly pulled the comforter off him and raked her hungry eyes over his body. She licked her lips when her eyes settled on his groin. She was thankful, in that moment, that men woke up with natural erections. All Olivia wanted in that moment was to ride her fiancé like a pony. She started to climb up the bed and crawled over to him. Just as she was about to straddle him, his eyes opened and he quickly pinned her. He smiled down at her surprised face, "I thought we agreed to wait until our wedding night?" Olivia pouted, "That's tomorrow. We can just have a quickie and I promise I'll pretend that it didn't happen." Dominic laughed at her logic, "You just want me for my body." He pulled away, but not before she wrapped her legs around him. He simply stood up with her wrapped around him, "Liv". She shook her head like a spoiled kid, "Look how muscular you got! Baby you're holding me like I'm a feather." "I always hold you like a feather because you're perfect." Olivia rolled her eyes, pecked him on the lips, and got out of his hold. Olivia had one more surprise for Dominic, but that would have to wait until their wedding.

Dominic took a shower while Olivia washed her face and brushed her teeth. "Baby, can you pass me my razor?" Olivia gave him his razor and brushed through her bed head. She went into the kitchen and quickly made them some breakfast sandwiches. He walked into the kitchen just as she finished and joined her in sitting on the countertop. "Can you believe that Cragen gave us his house?" Dominic smiled, "He loves you like you're his daughter. Yes, I can believe it. In truth, it saved us a lot of money. Don't get me wrong, I would've given you whatever house you wanted but Cragen gave us peace of mind. Think about it this way, you're closer to the precinct, I'm about a half hour closer to my job, and the kids' school is within 15 minutes of the house. And on top of that, we have more than enough room for the kids with space left over." Olivia raised a brow, "Left over for?" Dominic shrugged, "More kids, pets, more kids." Olivia laughed and leaned over to kiss him hungrily on the lips. "Until I get what I want, you don't get what you want." She jumped off the counter and made a show of swaying her hips as she walked away; he followed her retreating body and cursed the stirrings of desire running through him. He growled, "It's just one more day."

 **A/N: THEIR WEDDING IS THE NEXT CHAPTER AND I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY IDEAS FROM YOU GUYS.**


	26. Chapter 26

On the day of her wedding, Olivia felt as nervous as she did when she was getting ready for the prom. They decided to do something really unique for their wedding. They decided to get married at a cabin in the Poconos. Dominic knew that Olivia loved the fall and he loved campin,g so it just made sense to them. Olivia wanted Dominic to wear his official uniform while she opted for something non-traditional. She decided to have a champagne and gold colored sheath dress with a pair of comfy wedges. She curled her hair tightly and pin in up on top of her head. She ensured that all her makeup was waterproof because she knew that the tears would flow. Noah's tux and Nova's dress were the same color as hers. The knock at the door caught her off guard as she finished putting on her jewelry. Cragen walked into the room and looked at her with unshed tears; she chuckled lightly, "Please don't start or I won't be able to stop." He kissed her cheek and wrapped her in a hug, "You are stunning Olivia. I am so happy that this day has finally come for you." Olivia's tears started, "Thank you so much Cap. You've been the most amazing father figure for me over the last 20 years. I can only hope that I've made you proud." He shook his head no and squeezed her hands, "You've surpassed every single expectation I had and then some. I am grateful to be a part of your life." When Olivia walked down the staircase hand-in-hand with Cragen, Dominic's heart stopped. She was radiant and he couldn't believe that she was about to become his wife. He looked around the large cabin and saw all of their close friends and family. It was the same group from his welcome back party with a few add-ons sprinkled in. Barba, Blake-Dominic's friend-and Olivia's aunt Sabrina were in attendance as well as the entire Stabler family. Fin's son, son-in-law, and stepson even made an appearance. They decided to forego a normal pastor and instead let Munch officiate their wedding; Munch got ordained specifically for their wedding as one of his gifts to Olivia and Noah.

Munch started to speak, "Hello everyone, no need to sit down because this won't take long. Sgt. Dominic do you take Badass Benson to be your lawful wife? Badass Benson do you take the Marine to be your husband? Yes, for both-alrighty then let's get the smooch over with so we can get to the food and dancing." Everyone laughed at his eagerness and Olivia whispered loudly to him, "Hold your horses Prince Charming. We still have to say our vows and exchange rings." Munch gave a dramatic eye roll, "Didn't think you were one for the theatrics. Proceed." Olivia chuckled as Dominic started to speak, "Olivia, you are by far the most beautiful, toughest, stubborn, and immensely loving woman that I have ever met. We didn't meet under the best circumstances, but I am so happy we did. From the moment I saw you, I knew that you were full of passion. I will be thankful for the rest of days that you want to put up with me as we grow old together. You set an amazing example of tenacity for our children to follow. Thank you for agreeing to make this permanent. I'm overjoyed that we have another one on the way and I'm ready for a WHOLE football team with you." Casey comically interrupted, "Yeah no, my womb is only available for maybe one or two. The rest of the team is coming from the rest of the girls. Call it a group effort."

Everyone laughed and it took a while for Olivia to compose herself and recite her own vows. She held onto Dominic's forearm. Munch peered over his glasses at her, "Well, Juliet you have the floor." Olivia glared at him before smiling. She intertwined both of her hands with Dominic's. "Dom, I'll probably start crying so get ready", she laughed and continued, "I thought that a happy ending was out of the question for me. I thought that my life would only consist of the job and Noah. If it wasn't for my sweet little girl hurting her knee on the slide, I don't think that I would've seen you again. Thank you for loving me in a way I never expected. Thank you for giving me a family…my own family. Thank you for making me a better woman. I love you forever, my Marine." Just as they were about to kiss, Munch held a hand up, "Let's not scar the children." They both ignored him and kissed passionately, earning a lot of wolf whistles. They broke apart and Olivia put her hand over Munch's mouth, "We're not done yet." Munch's eyes were wide as saucers, "You plan to do even more than that in front of the children. Do they really need to learn the ins and outs of SVU this early?"

Olivia rolled her eyes; She and Dominic grabbed something from her aunt and turned to face their children. They both kneeled down in front of the confused younger versions of themselves. Olivia spoke first, "Nova, you are the daughter that I always hoped to have. I love you as if I carried you myself. You are such a beautiful, strong little girl and I'm honored to call you mine. With this necklace, I promise to always love and support you in whatever you do. I promise to always make you feel as beautiful as you are. I promise to be the best mom that I can be." She finished and wiped away Nova's tears; Dominic spoke to Noah, "Noah, you are a remarkable young man. I'm ecstatic to spend the rest of my life loving you and watching you group up. I am so proud of you for taking care of your mom and sister while I was away. You were a great man of the house and I am so ready to ensure that you become a great man. This watch symbolizes my devotion to you and my patience teaching you all the lessons you need to know. I love you and I'm proud to call you my son." Noah beamed as Dominic fastened the watch at the same time that Olivia secured the necklace on Nova. The family turned around to see all their guests crying or wiping away tears. Munch provided comic relief, "Now, that the Shakespeareans are lawfully wed, let's boogie!" At the beginning of their reception Olivia whispered her surprise into Dominic's ear. "I asked Blake to continue his outpatient care and physical therapy at our new home with our family. Even though he's in a wheelchair, he still needs to know that he has a reason to live. He loves being around the kids and he has no other family, so why not? Is that okay with you hubby?" Dominic spun her around and kissed her senseless, "Do you see now why I love you so much Mrs. Pruitt?" "I'm starting to Mr. Pruitt."

 **A/N: The reception continues as well as wedding speeches and gifts.**


	27. Chapter 27

The clinking of glasses got the attention of all the party people. Olivia and Dominic were seated in front of the large fireplace. She had changed into a more comfortable dress and Dominic had loosened his tie. They looked up to see Cragen about to speak first and Olivia felt the tears welling up. "I remember the first day that Olivia came to SVU. She already had the passion for the job, but she was very green" everyone laughed, "I watched her grow so much and I am proud to have known her this long. There were times where she made choices that I didn't agree with, but she had good intentions. I'm in awe of how much she has changed the stigma of what a Special Victim is. I wish you a lifetime of happiness. Dominic, take care of my girl." Jeffries was the next to stand up, "My story is drastically different. I was happy that there was another woman in the unit. We've grown so much…together. We went from competing to see who the bigger player was between us to who will have the most children" Olivia blushed and hid behind Dominic; Jeffries continued, "From dart fights to diaper changes, you've been there for me and I cherish you more than you know. Don't think you're getting off easy, I want all the details of the honeymoon just as you got mine." Olivia couldn't stop laughing and stood to hug Jeffries.

Rollins was next, "When I first met Olivia…I was kinda starstruck and intimidated. She had one hell of a reputation, however, we didn't start off on the best of terms. As she got more responsibility, I finally understood why she was so hard on me. She saw the same potential in me that Cragen saw in her. I am grateful to have met you. You are a great boss, amazing mother, genuine friend, and a smoking hot wife" she finished with a smile. Olivia was still chuckling when the room suddenly fell silent. She looked up to see Elliott nervously standing in front of the room. Her kind eyes gave him the courage to speak. "For those of you that don't know. Olivia is my best friend and was my partner for 12 years. There were times where I felt far too protective and times where I didn't fully have her back. She has always had my back, especially when I didn't deserve it. I think my biggest fear with Olivia being in a serious relationship is that I'd lose my best friend. It sounds stupid but she had my back in the best way. She was like a therapist that let me work through things at my own pace without pressure or judgment. She has helped and loved my family through some of our darkest times. I wish that I could change the way I left her…but not leaving. I needed to leave so that she could grow into her own being without me in the way. Olivia, looked at all you've gained in our separation. You are commanding officer of a unit that is your life. You have kids—something that you've always longed for, you have a husband. You have everything that you've deserved. I am so proud to call you my friend and so elated to watch you bask in success and happiness. Congratulations Liv and Dominic."

Olivia didn't try to hide the tears and hugged Elliott as tight as she could, she whispered in her ear, "Thank you El. Thank you so much. I love you forever my friend." Casey gripped Alex's arm tight, causing the blonde to stand abruptly. "Guys, I'm sorry to interrupt but I think that Casey has something to say." Olivia and Dominic immediately turned towards Casey, "My water broke. Hospital time!" Everyone rushed around but Casey's loud voice at the front door stopped them, "Everyone can slow down a little. I've been around the block a couple of times and we have a little while to go. So, let's wrap up this reception and continue at the hospital." Olivia protested, "But Case—" "Liv seriously, it's okay. Besides I want to hear the rest of the speeches. You kid will make its arrival when it's ready…I just want drugs from a hospital this time."


End file.
